The Guardian Chronicles: Guardian
by STLHero
Summary: Part 2. FemNaru. When she won the Sports Festival, Naruto did not expect that the Elemental Countries would take notice. Now the citizens of Japan are being kidnapped and there were now various people that were after her from Kumo to Iwa. If high school was a challenge before, staying alive was going to be her biggest challenge yet.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I want to welcome everyone to the second book of the Guardian Chronicles. For anyone that is new to the book, I would recommend that you read the first book to understand what is going on. This book was split up in order to pace the original series properly. So there is a whole lot in the first chapter that does not make sense if you don't read the first book.

* * *

It had been a whole day since the Sports Festival happened. A whole day passed since Naruto won the Sports Festival and she did not have a break. Oh, the school gave all the students a break but the blond-haired girl still had a part-time job to be concerned about.

She shook her head and put the plate of rice balls along with two plates of steamed rice and eggs on her small dining room table. The scent tickled her nose, almost tempting her to take one rice ball and begin eating but the blond-haired girl took a deep breath. She should wait for Jiraiya to wake up before heading out to her part-time job in the café.

Five minutes later and Jiraiya walked out of her guest room, hands ruffling his hair and a yawn escaped from his lips. Dark eyes flickered from the plates of breakfast and a pout tugged on his lips. He slumped his shoulders at her. "Is that all you made for breakfast? There aren't any fruits or vegetables."

Naruto folded her arms against her chest. "Be happy that I even made breakfast for you. If you wanted fruits or vegetables then you make breakfast."

"You need to eat healthy, Naruto." Her mentor pulled up the chair and grabbed the rice ball along with the single plate of rice and eggs. Naruto wrinkled her nose, her lips curled into a scowl and the man shook his head at her. "They can be tasty, Naruto."

"You sound like Kakashi-sensei when he used to 'pop-in' to give me groceries," she grumbled.

Jiraiya eyed her, not looking one bit amused at her comment. Naruto sighed and looked at her food, before taking a nibble on her rice ball. Not once did the girl looked up at her mentor. The white-haired man shook his head and then blinked as if just realizing that the blond-haired girl wore her waitress outfit.

"Are you really planning to go back to work? Didn't I tell you that I will provide for you?" Jiraiya put down his chopsticks and Naruto looked up from her food. "Naruto, I'm here now. You don't need to worry about rent or groceries."

She put down the half-eaten rice ball and her blue eyes flared with irritation. "Jiraiya, you might offer to pay for the rent and everything that is necessary but I don't want your sympathy. I don't want hand-outs! I want to earn my own money."

"Naruto, I live here too." Her mentor reminded her and Naruto slumped her shoulders at the reminder. A sheepish smile almost played on her lips but the girl steeled herself. "And I'm willing to do my own share of the apartment when it comes to the finance. The only thing I want is for you to focus on your training."

It was not a big deal for Naruto to work. She could always do their training after she worked and she could make her clones do any homework that her teachers gave her to do. Naruto could manage her time. She did know what she was doing so her mentor should not make a big fuss about it.

Besides, Naruto never liked handouts when it came to supporting her and the only exception was when someone offered to buy her, ramen.

"And I will focus on my training," Naruto finally said.

Jiraiya eyed her but doesn't question her about her plans of balancing school, work and training. The man saw her time-management skills during the weeks leading up to the Sports Festival and she knew he knew that she was capable of balancing things. It was just that she might have to give-up on sleep, which was fine for Naruto.

Sleep was for the weak anyway.

"The moment I think you are running yourself thin Naruto, is the moment that you need to stop doing your part-time job." Jiraiya pointed his chopstick at her, effectively stopping the girl from opening her mouth to complain. "As long as I act as your guardian in Japan, my word is law."

Naruto hunched her shoulders and bit back the words that threatened to come out. _I know Aizawa-sensei and him had a talk in the hospital but I don't need someone to act like a father to me._ She ignored the slight flutter in her heart at the care given to her by her mentor and picked back her chopsticks, intent of finishing the large bowl of food that she made for them.

'_Uzushiokage? Where did you hear that title?'_

Jiraiya's question nagged and echoed in Naruto's mind as she shoved the rice into her mouth. It escaped her notice to question him when she came back to her apartment after eating ramen with Todoroki, Midoriya and the others. The whole thing escaped her mind especially since Amejiki paid for their meals.

She always did forget things when ramen came to play.

"Why were you surprised when you saw the hero: Uzushiokage?" The tea that Jiraiya had been drinking was spit out as the white-haired man took in deep breaths. She leaned forward. "You seemed surprised to see him."

Jiraiya steadied his trembling hands and he took a sip of his green tea, black eyes focused on the clock. The clock's small hand barely gazed the 7, telling Naruto that she probably had another 30 minutes before she needed to do the shifts that she missed doing because of the Sports Festival.

The Toad Sanin took a deep breath and nodded. "Are you in a hurry to get to work?"

"If I run now then I will be 20 minutes early." Naruto drawled out, putting down her chopsticks. Jiraiya hummed and flickered his eyes to the cracked photo frame of the Third Hokage and her. She leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "So are you going to tell me or not? Ero-Sennin?"

"I will tell you," Jiraiya leaned his body against the chair and looked up at the ceiling. He took several deep breaths, his black eyes looking more serious than Naruto had ever seen him, and lowered his eyes. "But for me to explain, I want to know if the Third Hokage ever tell you anything about Uzushiokagure."

Naruto knitted her eyebrows and shook her head. "Never heard about that village. Should I know anything about them?"

She stood up from her seat and made her way to the kitchen. Standing up in her tip-toe, Naruto grabbed the instant coffee bag from the shelf and put a spoonful into one of her clean mugs. If she was going to learn something then her mind shouldn't be hazy. _I probably should have waited till I come back to the apartment before questioning him._

"Yes because your last name is Uzumaki," Naruto swung her head around and she knitted her eyebrows. What did her last name have to do with anything? It was just a last name gifted to her by the Hokage, which was a lot better than some of the orphans. Most orphans in Konoha did not have a last name. "Naruto, you need to know that Uzumaki isn't a name that is associated with Konoha."

Naruto steadied her hands and poured the steaming water into her mug. "Where does it originate from? And why did the Third gave Uzumaki as my last name if it isn't associated with Konoha?"

"Uzumaki is a last name that is common in Uzushiokagure," Jiraiya leaned forward and took a sip of his tea. His dark eyes focused on the shaking shoulders of the blond-haired girl. Naruto inhaled and exhaled, feeling more and more irritated at his words yet knew better than to stop him because this was probably her only chance to get information.

"If it originate from Uzushiokagure then why did the Third give me the last name of Uzumaki?" She nibbled her bottom lip as butterflies formed in her stomach and blue eyes glinted with excitement. "Is it possible that my father come from there?"

"Or your mother," Jiraiya suggested quickly. She knitted her eyebrow, feeling confused at the mention of her mother because children always took the surname of their father. It was rare for a child to take their mother's last name. "Naruto, you do know the importance of continuing the name of a clan, right?"

Yes, she did know because Sasuke always talked about it along with restoring the honor of his clan.

"Then you know if a mother came from a stronger and more powerful clan then her child would take the surname of the mother," Naruto opened her mouth and Jiraiya held his hand up. "Tsunade is a different story because when Tsunade was born, her mother wasn't considered the last of her clan. You, on the other hand, are different story."

"Why?" Naruto knitted her eyebrow. "Are you saying that Uzumaki is also a clan's name."

The Toad Sannin took a sip of his tea and he kept his eyes focused on her blue eyes that shone with curiosity and weariness. He finally nodded. "The Uzumaki clan was a very powerful clan that rivalled the Hyuga and the Uchiha Clan. It wasn't just powerful but they were allies with the Senju Clan."

"You keep saying Uzumaki clan and Uzushiokagure in the past tense." Naruto grabbed the coffee mug and she returned back to her seat. Dread crept up in her stomach because past tense was never _good news._ She didn't know if she wanted to know the truth. "What happened?"

"Like what always happened in the Elemental Countries, war happened." Jiraiya grimaced and closed his eyes because war was never an easy topic to talk about. He exhaled. "Uzushiokagure was destroyed in the beginning of the Third Shinobi War and along with it, the Uzumaki clan."

Her hand trembled at this information because the implication was _genocide._ Bile rose up to her throat at the throat and Naruto swallowed it down, grimacing at the taste. She took several deep breaths and pinched herself in order to stop the slight tremors in her hand. Fear and sadness should not leak out of herself.

"How did they destroy the village?"

She doesn't ask why because the answer was just too obvious: it had been war and there were no exceptions in war.

"Iwa, Kumo and Kiri had been trying to break through the barrier seals," Naruto blinked and raised her eyebrows at him. Barrier seals? Could seals make barriers? That was kind of cool. "And somehow they managed to break through, which is a complete mystery."

"Why is it a mystery?"

Her mentor rubbed his chin. "Uzushiokagure was a village filled with masters of sealings and the village as I told you was protected with seals. The only way they could get in was if they had a master that could break through those seals."

_This is starting to sound like the start of one of those conspiracy theories that my co-worker likes to watch in her break._ She knew it sounded too ridiculous but Naruto knew _very little_ about sealing except for the occasional exploding seal. Those things were easy to make but that was all the girl knew about the mystical art.

She took a deep breath and recalled the way Jiraiya was surprised by the man. "And why were you shock by the hero? I can guess that Uzushiokage is a title given to the leader of Uzushiokagure."

Her mentor rubbed the back of his neck and inhaled deeply. "You are right but there is something else that you need to know about that title. The way that title is given is similar to how Sunagakure gives the Kazekage title…except they aren't sexist."

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean? How does Sunagakure give the title Kazekage?"

There were so many questions flooding in her mind. Not only about Uzushiokagure or Sunagakure but at the different traditions that the villages had. The Academy never really talked about it or maybe she skipped the classes when they did. She doesn't remember anymore.

"Sunagakure gives the title to the strongest _male_ member of the Kazekage clan: your fellow jinchuuriki Gaara's clan." Naruto blinked, taken back at the knowledge that Gaara came from a clan. "It doesn't matter the sanity of the member nor how popular they are to the village. What matters in Suna is strength."

Naruto took a deep breath. "Does that mean Gaara is now Kazekage?"

"From what my spies tell me, he is in transition of becoming Kazekage." Jiraiya replied. His black eyes focused on her and Naruto forced herself to smile. She wasn't upset at the thought of Gaara becoming Kazekage but she could only imagine just how much of a struggle it would be for him. _Because Suna treated him even worse than Konoha._ She wondered if he really was happy to protect that village.

She doubt that she was close enough to ask him.

"And the Uzushiokage?"

Jiraiya's fingers danced with the chopsticks and he took a deep breath. "Only the head of the Uzumaki clan can inherit the title and unlike the Uchiha Clan or the Hyuga clan, the head is chosen through strength. When Uzushiokagure was destroyed, the 2nd Uzushiokage had been murdered by a Kumo nin."

Naruto nodded. "Wouldn't the 2nd Uzushiokage be ancient by now?"

Jiraiya slumped and hit his head against the table while Naruto just tilted her head at him. Her eyebrows knitted together as the man looked at her like she was an absolute idiot for asking the question. She flushed red, realizing that it might have been a stupid question but he was not getting straight to the point.

"Sometimes I think you can be an absolute genius and it was times like these, where I think you can be an idiot." Naruto laughed nervously and the man shook his head. "If the 2nd Uzushiokage was alive, he would at least look like he would be in his 60s and not his early 20s."

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and she inhaled her coffee. The bitter scent tickled her nostrils, almost waking her up completely, and the blond-haired girl took a sip of her coffee. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before glancing at the clock, blinking her eyes at the realization that she only had fifteen minutes to get to work on time.

"So why were you surprised?"

Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line. "He looks like the grandson of the 2nd Uzushiokage and there had been rumors spread that the boy was the most likely to become the Uzushiokage if his grandfather died. That man made a name for himself in the beginning of the Third Shinobi War with his use of seals and ninjutsu."

There were more questions on the tip of her tongue. Was there a chance she could be related to him? Or was it a coincidence? But Jiraiya claimed that the man looked like the grandson, so it was possible that they came from the same clan. She shook her head.

Asking Jiraiya if she could be related to the man would open a box that Naruto wasn't certain if she wanted to open it.

* * *

_Uzushiokage is a title given to the Head of the Uzumkai Clan._

Naruto took several deep breaths and she steadied her arms, reminding herself that it would not be a good idea to make a mess of her notepad. Even though the café was as busy as ever, having so many families and students coming in with cameras, her mind was still thinking about this morning.

She forced herself to smile when a couple of customers took a photo of her, their eyes filled with only a starstuck look that reminded Naruto of how the girls used to look at Sasuke. Their hands seemed to inch closer to their notebooks and in that moment, the doorbell ranged and Naruto took this as her chance to go and greet the customers.

"_Welcome to—"_ The words died in her tongue as Naruto blinked at the sight of Aizawa and Eri standing in front of her workplace. Her teacher rubbed the back of his neck, body shuffling left to right as Eri bounced in her spot.

"Naruto-neechan!" All of the air inside of Naruto's lung seemed to be knocked off as Eri launched herself at her. Her hands wrapped around the white-haired girl, combing and patting it as a smile broke out of the little girl's mouth. Her teacher sighed and shook his head.

"W-What are you guys doing here?"

Aizawa hunched and picked up Eri by the collar of her dress, allowing the blond-haired girl to inhale a huge breath. The white-haired girl smiled shyly and squeaked when the crowds of customers turned to look at them. She quickly ran behind Aizawa's legs, peeking from behind his legs as Naruto pushed herself up from the floor.

Her teacher waited till she stood up to answer her question. "Eri wanted to see your workplace."

Blue eyes softened and Naruto knelt down till she was in the same eyelevel of the shy little girl. Red eyes locked on hers, looking just as nervous and a single hand reached forward to ruffle the ponytail that was tied sloppily. Her teacher flickered his eyes from her to Eri.

"Eri-chan, did you really want to see the café? Or did you want to eat some tasty cake?" Blue eyes twinkled with mirth and the girl pointed to the cakes on display near the cashier. Eri flushed a light shade of pink and drool leaked out of her mouth, speaking volumes to Naruto about how much she wanted that sweet cake.

Several of her co-workers blinked, eyebrows shooting straight to their hairline and Naruto gulped down a lump. _I have been nothing but a bitch to them._ Words should be said but she would worry about it later. Right now, her priority was Eri. Sweet Eri, who stared at the cakes on display with longing.

"Naruto-neechan, do you make these cakes?"

Naruto tapped her chin and shook her head. "I only take the orders and bring the cakes."

Eri bobbed her head and looked at Aizawa. The man made no comment throughout the exchange, only focusing his eyes between them and dimly Naruto realized that she needed to bring them to their seats. _This is what happens when I'm distracted by cute little kids._

She lead them to the empty booth that could hardly be seen by anyone. Several eyes followed them and the girl ignored them, focusing on the task at hand because this attention _was not _the bad attention like her childhood. She won a Sports Festival and it was natural that they wanted to know her.

Eri and Aizawa slid into the booth and Naruto handed them the menu. Her teacher popped the colourful menu help while Eri leaned forward, eyebrows scrunched together. _She is still struggling with learning how to read._ Naruto darted her eyes everywhere and kneels down slightly.

"You want me to help you, Eri-chan?" Eri smiled and ducked her head slightly, her white bangs covering her eyes and parting slightly around her horn. Aizawa peeked up from the menu, lips tugging downwards and Naruto darted her eyes at him, challenging him to question her.

He didn't say anything.

"I-I can read, Naruto-neechan." Eri declared, puffing her chest. "I just want some time to choose. I'm a big girl now."

Naruto quirked her lips slightly and ruffled the girl's hair before flickering her eyes at her teacher. The man still had his eyes fixated on the menu, not allowing the blond-haired girl to see the emotions running through his black eyes. She nibbled her bottom lip and straightened her back.

"Why are you still working in a café, Uzumaki?" Her teacher kept his tone patient and no emotion seemed to flood between them. Not that Naruto expected it because Aizawa was always so logical. "Your guardian is here now so you don't need to work to support yourself."

Blue eyes narrowed at the question and a sigh escaped from her lips, earning a raised eyebrow from the black-haired hero. So many words bubbled in her throat, ready to rip him apart for questioning her but black eyes that reassured her that she _was a good kid_ flashed before her eyes. Naruto slumped her shoulders and the words died down from her tongue.

"Because I like to earn my own money," Aizawa tapped his fingers against the menu and Naruto took it as a chance to elaborate. "That's why I want to work…it isn't about trust."

Aizawa lowered his menu and focused his black eyes on her, not one flicker of emotion seemed to shone through his eyes. "Uzumaki, you are still going to continue those therapy sessions. Nothing you say will change my mind about it."

_Your actions will change my mind_ was implied and it told Naruto that he really did want to see some real progress with her behaviour. Naruto inhaled and thought of the events that happened yesterday. Dinner with Midoriya, Todoroki and her seniors had been interesting to say the least for her. Even though she ate with them, her mind still occasionally wondered if _maybe_ her seniors had an ulterior motive.

She knew they probably did not and Naruto still had the urge to vomit at the way she kept thinking, because it was not fair for them. They had been nice to her even though she was just so cold to them, and they deserved better than this.

Her whole class deserved better than this.

"I-I want to get better." She choked out the words and Aizawa blinked before nodding at her. His lips almost twitched like he wanted to smile at her but he schooled it quickly. Naruto just blinked, taken aback at how close she was to making Aizawa smile because her teacher doesn't give his smiles easily.

"And if you continue in this path then you _will_ get better, Uzumaki." Reassurance and confidence leaked out of his voice and Naruto felt her hands trembled. She steeled her hands, reminding herself that she should not get so overly emotional with the care that Aizawa gave so easily.

She gulped down a lump and forced a smile. "So what would you guys like to order?"

"Chocolate cake and hot chocolate!" Eri cried, swirling her head up.

_I will make a note to tell Endo to make sure that the foam looks like a cat for Eri-chan._ Naruto darted her eyes to her teacher and the man lowered his menu, lips pressed into a thin line and a small sigh escaped from his lips. "I will take a cappuccino."

Naruto scribbled it down and frowned at the dark circles around her teacher's eyes. She nibbled her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her eyes took in the puffiness of Aizawa's eyes. Her teacher did not have the most luster skin but his skin looked even duller than usual, speaking volumes of just how exhausted the man was.

"Aizawa-sensei, you aren't overworking yourself again are you?" Her teacher pressed his lips into a thin line and the lack of answer was all Naruto needed. She flickered her eyes to Eri and chose to bite back the words of telling her teacher to look after himself because Eri needed him too. Aizawa-sensei knew what he was doing and the importance of making sure the little girl had a stable home.

He knew how important it was for her.

"Uzumaki, I won't break my promise to you." Naruto gulped down a lump and her teacher took a deep breath. He flickered his eyes to the various customers that seemed intent on watching their every move, their eyes hungry to get her attention. "And if we are going to talk about our personal lives then I will ask you a question: how are you handling the change?"

Naruto knitted her eyebrows. "Change?"

_Does he know about the change of me learning that I might have a clan?_ She nibbled her bottom lip and reminded herself that there was no way Aizawa-sensei would know. Ero-Sennin just told her about the news today and Jiraiya knew better than to spill those secrets.

"You and Jiraiya-san haven't lived together in a while, correct?"

Never was on the tip of her tongue but Naruto held the word back and she chose to nod, too afraid of spilling out a truth that contradicted the lie that Jiraiya gave him. She swallowed a lump. "I-It's weird."

Aizawa nodded, black eyes flashing with understanding and Naruto looked at Eri. The white-haired girl tilted her head and she scrunched her eyebrows together into one straight line like she was trying to figure out a mystery that no one in the world could solve. Naruto just smiled slightly.

Finally, Eri slumped her shoulders. "What does Guardian mean?"

"It means someone that takes care of someone that is younger than 18," Aizawa explained. "They care of them like how I take care of you."

The little girl bobbed her head and she flashed a tiny smile to her teacher. _She is getting there, isn't she? I think Eri-chan has improved since a few weeks ago._ Naruto took a deep breath and clicked her heels together, ready to go behind the cashier but something stopped her. _Or your mother._ She grinded her teeth and wondered what possessed her to remember that there was a chance she was a member of the Uzumaki clan.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "Uzumaki, did something happen?"

Naruto took a deep breath and forced herself to smile, ready to give him the usual lie but Aizawa shook his head at her. She slumped her shoulders. It had been too much of a stretch to think that maybe the teacher would just leave the whole thing alone, but this was Aizawa. He was _nothing like_ the Academy teachers.

He cared.

"You know you can lie with your mouth but your eyes will always tell a different story, Uzumaki." Aizawa said dryly. "What happened?"

"Do I really have to talk about it now?"

Aizawa darted his eyes to the various customers, took a deep breath and shook his head at her. Naruto relaxed her shoulders, flashing him a grateful smile before glancing at the various customers that seemed intent on watching them closely. _I might have won the Sports Festival but I want some privacy._ She forced herself to smile at them.

"We can talk about it tomorrow in school," Aizawa kept his tone low and he stared at the menu. "Or you can talk about it with the therapist if you don't want to talk to me about it."

Naruto sighed. "Tomorrow, it is."

No way was she going to talk about her identity crises while she played poker.

* * *

(_In an undisclosed location)_

Uzumaki Kenji was only 47 years old but looking at his various clans member, he felt older than his 47 years. There must be around 200 clans member in the dojo with most of them being second generation Uzumaki that have been born after the large migration to Japan. He stood in front of the podium with only one elder woman sitting behind him.

His two daughters sat in the front, their eyes flashed with confusion while his only (_foolish_) son avoided looking at his hazel eyes. Standing right beside him was the only brother that survived the attack thrown at them from their enemies. Asa was only younger than him by a good five years but the little brat acted like he was the older one.

"Uzushiokage-sama, why did you call us here?" One of the younger clansmember asked, drawing everyone's attention to her. Whispers broke out, breaking the tense silence that surrounded the atmosphere, and Kenji locked eyes on Kumiko. His wife raised an eyebrow, hands folded against her chest and he jerked his head at their son.

His son had the decency to flinch and Kenji grinded his teeth.

"Because of the Sports Festival," a few members raised their eyebrows and Kenji took a deep breath. "Let me ask this: how many of you have seen it?"

Out of the 200 clans member present in his dojo, only a 100 members raised their hands. A few of his fellow shinobi grimaced, realizing what exactly was the cause of him calling out for an emergency meeting. Kenji swirled his head at the elderly woman, who showed no emotion. She only just clenched and unclenched her hands together.

No one had smiles on their faces.

"Is this about that _girl_ who they claim is an Uzumaki?" Akane, his daughter, demanded. At the age of fourteen, his daughter took more like her mother but she had his coloring. She grinded her teeth together. "That girl can't be an Uzumaki, Pops! She doesn't have our signature red—"

"Akane, are you claiming that neither me nor my brother are Uzumaki?" Another clansmember yelled, standing up from her seated position. Uzumaki Tomoyo had long grey hair but inherited the violet eyes of his brother, Asa. Violet eyes narrowed. "Not everyone here has red-hair! But one of our parents is an Uzumaki. You should focus on your biology because you would realize that genetics has a play."

From right beside her, Haruto tugged his sister down. "Nee-chan, you need to calm down!"

"Why should she?" A man yelled. "I've got orange hair and my father is an Uzumaki!"

"_My hair has hints of red!"_

"_I have got black-hair!"_

Screams echoed and Kenji grinded his teeth, eyebrows twitching and if it was not for the fact that they were in public then he would whack his daughter for her comment. Asa darted his eyes at him, his lips curled into a scowl and Kenji just straightened his shoulders. The elder woman scowled, stood up from her seat and headed straight towards the gong.

Violet eyes narrowed and despite her elder age, his great-aunt swung her fist against the gong. The bell chimed, its sounds echoing throughout the dojo, and the arguments died down. The woman slammed her cane on the ground and the whole room shook.

"Conduct yourself with a manner that is befitting of the Uzumaki Clan," his great-aunt roared. Violet eyes narrowed at Akane and his daughter gulped. "Akane! You may have our red-hair but you are also not a full-blooded Uzumaki so don't talk about our signature hair colour. That colour is a game of luck as Tomoyo was trying to tell you."

Tomoyo bobbed her head and bowed her head. "Thank you, Akira-sama."

"You need to conduct yourself better, Tomoyo." Akira narrowed her eyes. "Akane is a disrespectful brat and she is younger than you. You need to keep your head held up high and not allow her words to annoy you."

His niece flinched and nodded before bowing her head down. Her brother patted her in the back, shooting irritated looks at Akane but his daughter just tilted her head up. _I will discipline the brat once this meeting is over._ He would make sure that she understood the importance of respecting her elders.

Taking a deep breath, Kenji cleared his throat and looked at the various clansmember. _We used to be able to fill a whole village but now we can only fill a dojo room._ He clenched and unclenched his hands, ignoring the narrowed eyes of his brother. His throat dried up as a pair of twinkling violet eyes flashed before him along with a smile.

'_Kenji-niisan, Gramps says that I'm going to take care of his sister! The one that is in Konoha!'_

He swallowed down the lump.

"I called all of you here, not because of the possibility that Uzumaki Naruto might be a member of our clan," he took a deep breath and pushed back the memories of a childhood that was longed passed. "There is another reason that all of you—"

"That girl comes from the Elemental Countries, doesn't she?" His fellow shinobi questioned. Kenji clenched his jaws, took several deep breaths and stared daggers at the woman. She flinched. "Sorry, Uzushiokagure-sama but that girl was just too experience to be a normal kid that just decided to become a Hero."

"And none of us have seen her in our reunions," another member pointed out. "It is just so easy for us to conclude that she comes from there, but which hidden village does she come—"

"Konohagakure." Several eyes widened and Akira pressed her lips into a thin line. Almond-shaped, violet eyes narrowed at him, questioning him about his knowledge and Kenji straightened his back. He took several steps forward, eying his son who still avoided looking him in the eye. "Eisuke saw the girl with the Toad Sannin."

Silence hung throughout the whole dojo with the only sounds that could be heard were the breaths of several members of his clan. The members of the clan, who lived through the Third Shinobi War, narrowed their eyes and frowned at him. They glanced at each other and his cousin stepped forward, straightening her back and everyone turned to look at her.

"Is it possible that the child is Kushina's child?" She questioned. "Kushina was the only Uzumaki sent to Konoha."

Kenji steadied his arms. "Eisuke will take a piece of her hair and we will compare her DNA with mine."

He shifted his eyes to Tomoyo. Out of all the clansmember in the dojo, his niece was one of the few medics that they had and was also the only one that had access to a lab. She was an intern that could do this without anyone knowing what they were testing for. His niece straightened her back and her hazel eyes glinted with excitement.

"Tomoyo, can you conduct the test?"

The gray-haired woman bobbed her head. "I can have it done during a shift but Eisuke can't forget to bring it."

His son scowled and Kenji shook his head, biting his tongue from reminding his son of how they wouldn't be in this situation if he just recalled the rules.

"Good," Kenji took a deep breath. "Now let us move onto the next order of business. Starting today, every child of the Uzumaki Clan from the age of four onwards will undergo training."

No words were spoken as the members of his clan, both that were born into the clan and those married into the clan, processed what was just said. Eyes began to grew large and it was not long before they jerked their heads at him, looking at him like he grew two heads. He did not smile at them.

_"What?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Are you insane?"_

Kenji walked to the gong, hazel eyes narrowing at them and without a second thought he smashed his fist against the gong. Everyone blinked and closed their mouths but the red-haired man growled at them. "I'm not suggesting that the children undergo this. This is an order and _whatever I say, goes__._"

Asa's eyes eyed the members of the Uzumaki clan and grunted. "Kenji is right. It is time all of you to get your asses whipped into shape because that girl just alerted the Elemental Countries about Japan. If not her then it is my idotic nephew—"

"—I'm the only one that can call my son an idiot!" Kenji swirled his head at his younger brother and the man narrowed his eyes, daring him not to call Eisuke an idiot. His son slumped his shoulders and Kenji grinded his teeth at him.

"I'm not—"

"Eisuke, you broke the law of our clan!" Kenji grunted at his son and several eyes turned to his only son. "You alerted the Elemental Countries that the Uzumaki Clan existed. I thought none of you would question why Yuuei is forbidden, but no _you_ acted like a child and now a whole group of people are going to come here."

His son hunched his shoulders and hang his head. Kenji growled and looked at his wife, who frowned at him. Her green eyes questioned him but he only looked away from her. His hands trembled as several corpses flashed before his eyes. _I will be lucky if that smartass don't bring up my mistake._

He spoke too soon.

"Kenji-niisan, I told you that the children should know why you made that law." Asa locked his eyes on Kenji. "Do you honestly believe that those people won't break through the genjutsu? Or through those barrier seals that our ancestors helped to put in place? We are going to be hunted down like pigs again."

Kenji grinded his teeth. "I miscalculated, Asa."

His youngest daughter, Kiko, frowned and she nibbled her bottom lip. "Father, why would they hunt us down?"

The Clan Head took a deep breath and flickered his eyes to his aunt. The woman pressed her lips, tossed him her cane and the man caught it with a single hand. He twirled the cane, pointing at the various characters and shapes that decorated the dojo and the young members of the clan only frowned at him. Only Eisuke and Tomoyo blinked, their eyes widening at his message.

"Because the Hidden Villages of the various Elemental Countries feared our sealing capabilities," he threw the cane back to his aunt and he straightened his back. "This was why Uzushiokagure was destroyed and why they decided to take a sneak attack to our original home. Those people knew we could win the war without any problem—"

"It wasn't just that!" Another member cried out. "They wanted our seal masters and wanted our hiden techniques. Almost every single powerful seal master came from _our clan!_ The only exception was Jiraiya and his student: Minato."

'_Kenji-niisan, don't tell Akira-obaachan but I taught Minato some of our sealing techniques.'_

Dread crept in his stomach and the blue eyes of that girl Naruto flashed before his eyes, haunting him. It was a possibility but Kenji never knew if Kushina did marry the man. He does not know if that four year long relationship lasted at least another eight more years and ended up with her getting pregnant.

"It will be worse now." Kenji shook his head. "The situation is going to be a lot more worse now."

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Akira took a step forward and her violet eyes surveyed the various clans members, who stiffened their shoulders and squirmed in their spots. "All of you that have been born to an Uzumaki parent and to a parent that has a Quirk will be considered a gem to them. Wars had been started over Kekkei Genkai and to the Hidden Villages, you are children that they would want to integrate into the village."

Whispers broke out and Kenji leaned forward. His hazel eyes darted at the various members of his clans, his eyes always lingering on the youngest children that were now huddled together. His stomach rolled slightly but Kenji schooled his expression, curled his lips into a scowl and locked eyes on every single one of them.

The time for innocence was gone.

"If they don't try to slaughter us then each one of you might end up becoming a breeding cow," his wife narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. He scowled while the other Uzumaki's parents nodded. "You might think that your Quirks are special and gifts, but it is celebrated here. You aren't forced to be soldiers. The Elemental Countries is a different story."

"W-What do you mean?" Akane swallowed. "Are you trying to imply something, Father?"

He grunted. "I raised you to be smarter than this, Akane. The shinobi villages would snatch you away and make sure that you become a tool that they can use. Your Quirks would make you weapons of war and if you refuse to comply then they will find ways to make you do what they want."

The only sound that could be heard was the sobs of the young children. His words might have been harsh but Kenji was not like their teachers in schools, who seemed to be a bit of a pushover. He was not All Might, who could foolishly smile and act like his actions was enough to stop them. Kenji was a shinobi and shinobi dealt with cold, hard facts.

"And what about our friends?" Another clansmember asked. "We aren't the only people with Quirks, or Kekkei Genkai. They have them too."

Kenji grinded his teeth together. "They will be hunted down as well and the chances are that there will be more children and adults that are going to be kidnapped. So if you want to protect your loved ones, friends and even your acquittances then go through the training that your parents are going to install. You will also need to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious and report it to either me, your parent or Eisuke."

He prayed for their sake that it would be enough for them to be protected.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about the first chapter. Please tell me of your first impression of the Uzumaki clan.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

Naruto was just six and half when she began to wonder about the existence of her parents. At that age, she understood and knew what an orphan was. She knew what made her different from her classmates in the Academy, while most of her classmates had parents, Naruto didn't have them. In none of her memories, does she recall them.

She remembered a kind, old lady and how she called her Naru-chan but that was where her earliest memories began. Naruto thinks that she had been one of the few elderly people who looked at her with such _warm_ eyes. But not once in her early memories, can she remember who her parents were.

'_Don't you ever forget that Granny loves you as much as your Mummy and Daddy loves you.'_

She doesn't remember who Granny was but Naruto knew her parents did _exist._ It was only after an incident with Ami that the question haunted her mind. Even when she was fifteen, Naruto could still recall what caused her to wonder.

It had been raining when it happened. It had been just another rainy morning in the Academy and everything was normal, except Hinata had been crying again just like she always does whenever Neji bullied her. Her cousin always liked to say cruel words to her. _Weak_ was what her friend's cousin called Hinata but Naruto doesn't see what makes Hinata weak. Whenever their teacher paired them together for taijutsu, she always struggled against her. The only reason Naruto won in their match was the fact that Hinata always _hesitate_.

"_Neji is just a bully,"_ Naruto declared to Hinata. She kept her volume low and rubbed the girl's shoulder, blue eyes focused on her friend. Sitting right beside her was Sasuke and like always, he had a tiny scowl playing on his lips. However unlike the other times, his black eyes looked at Hinata with concern. "_You are strong, Hinata-chan! Right, Sasuke?"_

Sasuke scowled and opened his mouth to protest, only to wince when the blond-haired girl shoved her elbow against his ribs. _Hinata is our friend._ He grunted, nodding and he rubbed his sides. All around them, the students stopped talking and stared at them with a couple of girls glaring at Hinata and her. _I don't understand why they have a problem with us._

"_Oh does the nameless orphan want to cheer up the crybaby by forcing Sasuke-kun to acknowledge her? Face it, Hyuga is weak."_

Her hand stilled and Naruto swirled her head up, blue eyes flaring with flames of fury as brown eyes looked at Hinata and her like they were dirt underneath her foot. Hinata gulped and trembled while Ami curled her lips into a scowl. Sasuke said nothing but he balled his hands into a tiny fist. He tried to stand up from his seat and Naruto pulled him down.

Black eyes gazed at her and Naruto grinded her teeth. "_I can deal with this. This is __**my**__ fight."_

_Naruto would never admit it but she didn't want him to get into trouble with Fugaku and Mikoto or his big brother. _

"_Hinata-chan is stronger than you,"_ Naruto puffed her chest and leaned her body forward till their noses touched. "_And she is no crybaby! Also my name is Uzumaki Naruto! Not __**nameless**__ orphan!"_

Her nostrils flare and Naruto felt a burning sensation behind her eyes. _I won't cry._ She clenched and unclenched her hands as whispers broke out from all around them. Ami curled her lips into an even crueler smile, almost looking like a lioness that was ready to attack its prey.

"_If you are not nameless, then do you know who your parents are?"_ The words echoed throughout the classroom and several breaths hitched as Naruto tensed up at the mention of her parents. Of course she did not know who her parents were, they died in the Kyuubi attack.

_But all my fellow orphans at least have an idea who their parents, the Hokage never told me what their names were._

Naruto took a deep breath, clenched her jaws and spit out. "_No."_

The smile on Ami's face turned even colder and those dark eyes flashed with malicious joy. "_Then how can you be certain that your name is the name that your parents gave you? I bet your parents didn't give you a name. They probably didn't even give you a name. Your parents probably didn't even love you."_

The blond-haired girl faltered and her shoulder trembled at those words. Her chest tightened as the last two years of her life flashed before her eyes from the Matron's cruel words to her time in the streets. _Did they love me?_ The question nagged her to the point that doubt clouded the voice of the elderly woman's that called herself Granny in the haze of her very first memory.

"_T-Take that back, Ami-san!"_ Naruto whipped her head back and blue eyes grew large at the way _shy_, little Hinata was standing up from her seat. Her friend's shoulders were straight and while her lips trembled, Hinata's eyes seemed to be fierce.

"_Make me, Creepy Eyes!"_ Hinata flinched and Ami fixated her brown eyes at her. "_I bet your parents didn't even exist."_

Silence hung in the classroom as everyone turned to look at Naruto. The girl flexed her fingers, blue eyes hardening and her jaw clenched at the way those words pierced through her heart. Sasuke flickered his eyes at her, lips pressed into a frown but the girl focused her attention on Ami.

"_My parents did exist!"_

Ami curled her lips into a sneer. "_What's your proof?"_

"_They died in the front lines, protecting the village from the Kyuubi! The Hokage told me this and he won't lie to me!"_ Naruto growled out. She did not come from nowhere, she had to come from somewhere. Babies come from woman or so Kotone-obachan explained when Naruto asked where babies came from. Her mother must have existed for Naruto to be here. If they never existed then how did she come to be?

_But the Hokage always avoided answering questions about her parents, no matter how much Naruto cried and demanded to know about them._

Ami narrowed her eyes. "_Then did he ever tell you who are your parents? All the other kids know who their parents are, maybe you are a kitsune in disguise. You have got the marks of one. What were their names?"_

Naruto grinded her teeth together and she balled her hands into a fist as her cheeks grew a furious shade of red. Words bubbled in her mouth along with the desire to allow the small drips of tears in her eyes to just come down. But if she allowed a small teardrop come out then Ami would win.

It would mean Naruto allowed her words to get to her.

"_You can't even answer, can you?"_ Ami leaned forward and dug her finger against Naruto's chest. "_Don't you see? Your parents __**never **__existed."_

"_Don't be stupid."_ Several eyes grew large and heads swirled to look at the black-haired boy sitting right beside Naruto. Blue eyes flickered to her friend, who narrowed his eyes at Ami and he looked at the girl like she was the biggest idiot in the world. Naruto felt her throat tightened. "_If Naruto never had parents then how can she be here? Instead of picking on Naruto and Hinata, you should read some books and make yourself smarter."_

Ami flushed a shade of pink and her brown eyes flashed with two emotions that Naruto could recognize immediately: adoration and fury. Her classmate grinded her jaw, eyes flickering between her and Sasuke and then circling to Hinata.

_(Naruto thinks that this was the day when Hinata and her became targets for Sasuke's fanclub)._

Sasuke turned to look at her, black eyes flashing with concern and Naruto turned her head away from him. Her throat burned with the knowledge that Sasuke _was capable_ of defending her. He did not keep quiet like she requested him nor did he just stood there and allow Ami to do what she wanted. Instead, he defended Hinata and her.

She doesn't tell him thank you because Sasuke would just use it against her and Naruto wasn't going to give him the tool to ever use it against her.

"_I didn't need your help."_

Hinata tugged on Naruto's sleeves and it forced the blond-haired girl to look at her friend, who had her hands clenched into a fist and her whole body seemed to be trembling. "_Naruto-chan, you should just say thank you to him."_

Naruto flickered her eyes from Hinata to Sasuke and looked down at her blue shoes. The words _thank you_ was just lodged in her throat because why should she say it? She could have handle it without Sasuke helping her. He didn't need to help her. He didn't help her when Ami took her homework and claimed it as her own, allowing her teacher to tell her that she wasn't smart enough to make that score.

_Ami got a 100 in the worksheet that Naruto spent hours doing._

No, she could not say the words thank you but even when Naruto looked back at it. She would admit that she felt a flutter of happiness that Sasuke defended her and a part of her wondered if that was what a big brother would do for their little sister.

She also wondered why the Hokage was willing to tell her fellow orphans who their parents were, but refused to tell her anything about them.

A part of her would always wonder if her parents really did exist.

* * *

Naruto hunched her shoulders and let out a sigh as her eyes fixated on the drenched grounds. Today was the day that they were supposed to return back but instead of being a sunny day, the skies above her were grey and rain seemed to be smashing against her bright orange umbrella. She let out a sigh, tilted her head upwards and gulped down a lump.

_I need to get to school on time._ Naruto tightened her grip on the umbrella and dragged her feet through the street that would lead up to Yuuei High. Houses surrounded her, not just any houses but the kind of houses that Naruto always associated with the rich. Huge buildings that seemed to tower over her and Naruto hung her head down.

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto clicked her heels together, eyebrows scrunched together and she took a deep breath. Rubbing the back of her neck, she twisted her whole body around. Blue eyes widened at the sight of a beaming Kendou, who wore a bright yellow raincoat. The orange-haired girl dashed forward, green eyes shining with so much happiness at the sight of her.

She could only knit her eyebrows at the girl.

"How are you, Uzumaki?" Kendou now stood right beside her and her green eyes locked on the various houses surrounding them. "How was your break? I, personally, had a nice break after what we did two days ago in the Sports Festival. What about you? What did you do?"

Silence hung between them as Naruto fixated her eyes on her smiling friend (were they friends? Because Naruto wasn't certain), who now hunched her shoulders at her. Several words bubbled in her throat as the orange-haired girl frowned at her.

Naruto took a deep breath and forced herself to swallow down the bubbling words that seemed to be lodged in her throat. "I spent the whole of yesterday working in my part-time job."

Kendou blinked and blinked, green eyes growing wide and it was not long before a smile broke out of her lips. Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and looked everywhere but at the smiling girl standing right beside her. _Kendou wants to be my friend._ She released a sigh. "So I didn't really have a break since I volunteered to work the whole day."

The orange-haired girl tilted her head. "But don't you want to take a break? You just won the whole Sports Festival and the whole thing was draining."

Blue eyes locked on the dribbling rain as pale, milky eyes flashed before her along with a pair of black eyes that shone with concern. _Idiot, don't push yourself to the limit._ _Naruto-chan, you need to take a break. _She took in a deep breath, shook her head and looked at the concerned teen.

"I just wanted to keep myself busy."

Kendou curled her lips into a frown, only raising a single eyebrow at her but the girl did not open her mouth to say anything to her. Instead, she just walked right beside her in silence and only gave her the occasional glance as they crossed the street. Sometimes, Naruto returned the glance at the orange-haired girl.

'_My name is Kendou Itsuka but you can call me, Itsuka-chan!'_

She tightened her grip on the umbrella and took in a deep breath.

'_What class are you in? I'm in Class 1B."_

A lump formed around her throat and Naruto hunched her shoulders. She could feel her hand trembling as more and more of her interactions with Kendou flashed before her eyes. Naruto halted and fixated her eyes on the humming orange-haired teen. _I really do have a lot of people to apologize to and Itsuka-chan is probably one of the people that deserved an apology._

"Itsuka-chan," Kendou halted and swirled her head around, green eyes growing wide at the name that Naruto had always refused to call her. "I-I owe you an apology."

"Uzumaki, what are you saying sorry for?"

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck with her free arm, blue eyes locked onto the bright green eyes of the girl that always wanted to be her friend. _What's your name?_ She never answered that question because the thought of getting close to someone terrified her. Friends always hurt you and she just did not want to experience that pain ever again.

'_Uzumaki, do you know what is Pistanthrophobia?'_

She inhaled. "I acted very cold to you and you didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve to be treated in that way and I'm sorry for trying to push you away from me."

Naruto hunched her back and locked her eyes on the ground, body shifting back and forth as green eyes locked onto her. Kendou quirked her lips, strolled back to her and ducked her head under the bright orange umbrella. Green eyes locked onto Naruto's blue eyes and a grin colored Kendou's features.

"You are forgiven," Naruto blinked and Kendou flashed her a cheeky smile. Blond eyebrows knitted together and the smile on Kendou's face broadened. "But I guess if you really want to be forgiven then…you should come with me and Setsuna to the cinema."

Blue eyes widened and Naruto parted her lips. There was a burning sensation behind her eyes and the girl swallowed down the lump that clogged her throat. _I really didn't deserve this._ Taking a deep breath, Naruto bobbed her head and forced herself to smile at her friend.

"Uzumaki-chan! Kendou-chan!"

Naruto lifted the umbrella and the two teens twirled their body around, their eyes growing wide at the sight of Asui flashing them a tiny smile. She offered them a small wave and walked straight towards them, her muddy green eyes locked on them.

"How was your break yesterday?"

The two girls glanced at each other and then looked at the curious frog-like girl before saying in unison. "Good!"

The three of them continued to stroll through the streets with Kendou smiling ear to ear as they talked about their day yesterday. The laughter of Kendou and Asui echoed throughout the streets and Naruto only had a small smile playing on her lips. It was not long before Naruto sensed another presence following them. Not just another presence but a presence that had chakra.

Naruto stopped walking, pressed her lips into a thin line and swirled her head around. Blue eyes widened as a red-haired girl, who looked just a year younger than them. She had bright red-hair that reminded Naruto of fire and green eyes, which resembled the lush greens of Konoha. Her eyes reminded her the shape of cats and there were freckles that decorated her face.

Those green eyes stilted at the sight of her and her lips curled into a scowl.

Kendou frowned and turned her head around to look at Naruto, only for her green eyes to narrow at the sight of the red-haired girl standing right behind them. A scowl played on Kendou's lips as the red-haired girl sneered at the orange-haired girl. _Do they know each other?_ Naruto flickered her eyes from Kendou to the girl.

"Kendou-senpai."

"Uzumaki."

Asui widened her eyes and Naruto blinked as the red-haired girl shoved her hands against her skirt. The green-haired girl darted her eyes from the blond-haired girl to the red-haired girl, who seemed to have her eyes fixated on Naruto. The red-haired girl strolled up, lips curled into a mocking smile and her green eyes continued to shone with anger and irritation.

Naruto clenched her hands into a fist.

"Uzumaki-chan, do the two of you know each other?" Asui lowered her voice and locked her eyes on the red-haired girl that continued to glare at her. Naruto shook her head and just locked her eyes on the furious girl, who now had her eyes locked on Kendou.

"You gave a weak fight in the Sports Festival, Kendou-senpai." The girl curled her lips into a cruel smile and Naruto narrowed her eyes at the girl. She balled her hands into a fist and took a deep breath. "I didn't think Yuuei would let in weaklings."

Kendou grinded her teeth, green eyes flaring with fury and she marched forward at the smirking red-haired girl. Naruto stalked up towards the girl. Asui grimaced, lips pressed into a frown and followed behind the bright blond-haired girl.

"What did you say to her, you little piece of shit."

Silence hung between everyone as Kendou and Asui gawked at the blond-haired girl. Naruto grinded her teeth together, hands clenched into a fist as her blood boiled at the words spoken by the girl that did not know anything about Kendou. The red-haired girl faltered slightly but she straightened her back and sneered at her.

"I said that Kendou-senpai is weak," the girl sneered and green eyes flashed with cruelty. "You know what else, you are a show-off."

Naruto kept her eyes fixated at her and Kendou clenched her jaws. She walked closer to the girl, only to be pulled back by the blond-haired girl. The orange-haired girl swirled her head around, raising an eyebrow but Naruto shook her head. She narrowed her eyes at the smirking girl and without a second thought, the blonde lunged the girl.

Green eyes blinked and the red-haired girl shifted to the left as Naruto coiled her hand into a spring. She narrowed her eyes and the Uzumaki girl attempted to catch Naruto's fist. She winced, pushed herself a few steps back and Naruto curled her lips into a smile. Everyone blinked when Naruto used her other fist to smashed the girl against the cheek.

Rain drizzled all over her body and Naruto took in a couple of deep breaths. She rubbed the back of her shoulders as the red-haired girl spat out a little bit of blood, decorating the ground. Green eyes flashed with irritation while her two friends fixated her eyes at her.

"Uzumaki-chan…"

"Naruto…"

Naruto avoided looking at her two schoolmates, just taking in short, quick breaths as the red-haired girl rubbed her cheeks. Blue eyes narrowed at her and she straightened her back. _That felt good._ Naruto sighed and clicked her heels together. She cracked her back and curled her lips into a sneer.

"That was for insulting Itsuka," Itsuka and Asui blinked and Naruto grinded her teeth together. "You can insult me because I heard a lot of shit throughout my whole life."

The red-haired girl sneered and stalked towards her, hands slipping into her skirt. Green eyes looked at Naruto like she was the dirt underneath her shoes and the blond-haired girl held back a laugh. _I just punch you and you are giving me this look, who the hell do you think you are?_ The girl leaned closer to her and tip-toed till they were at the same eye level.

The girl lowered her voice. "Let me make one thing clear, Naruto: I refuse to acknowledge you as a member of the Uzumaki Clan. I doubt that your last name is even Uzumaki."

'_Your parents __**never**__ existed.'_

Naruto's shoulders stiffened and her lips almost wobbled at her words, but the girl grinded her teeth together._ Don't show her that her words affect you._ She grinded her teeth and held herself back from shoving the younger girl to the ground. All she could do was grind her teeth together.

"If the Uzumaki clan is made up of rude shits like you then I don't want your acknowledgment," Naruto spat out. "But if you really came from a strong clan then your parents must be disappointed about how much of a disappointment you are to them. If you think Kendou is weak then you must be weaker."

Green eyes flared with irritation and the girl raised her hand, ready to smack her. Naruto smiled and yanked the girl's hand, twisting her around and everyone gawked at her. Naruto lowered her head and allowed her breath to touch the girl's ears. "Raise your hand at me and I will show you what a _kunoichi_ can do."

Naruto shoved the girl and walked away, not bothering to look at the fallen girl. She ignored the gawking expression of Kendou and Asui, picked up her fallen umbrella and continued to walk straight to their high school. Water splashed and Naruto blinked at the sight of Kendou and Asui walking on either side of her.

"Uzumaki, are you and Akane related?"

Naruto scowled. "I don't know and I pray to God that I'm not related to her because I hate brats like her."

She prayed to the God that neither of her parents were related to that girl because she refused to acknowledge a girl like that as family.

* * *

"So many people were staring at me in the bus stop yesterday!"

The chatter of her classmates filled the classroom as the sunlight filled the classroom, almost making Naruto's lips twitched. She glanced at Asui and the girl offered her a concerned look. _That girl isn't the first girl to make me question about my last name._ Naruto forced herself to give the girl a smile and her classmate frowned.

She forced herself to smile even more and took her seat right beside Todoroki. Mismatch eyes glanced at her and his eyebrows knitted together. He darted his eyes everywhere, glancing at both Midoriya and Bakugou. The two teens focused their eyes on Naruto, lips pressed into small frowns or in the case of Bakugou, a scowl.

Todoroki took a deep breath and leaned closer to her. "Did something happen, Uzumaki?"

Silence hung between them and his hand hovered over her shoulder, almost like he was uncertain of whether or not to touch her. Naruto felt her throat tightened as the irritated green eyes of that girl (_not her relative)_ flashed before her eyes. Her shoulders trembled but was it from anger? Or was it from fear? Naruto was just uncertain.

Asui twisted her body around along with Bakugou and Midoriya. Naruto inhaled, clenched her hands into a fist and forced herself to smile even wider. Even though she knew that Midoriya cared about her and that Asui might truly care about her, Naruto was not going to show her weakness in front of them. _I still don't have enough trust._

Exhaling, Naruto dropped her voice. "I will talk to you about it during lunch."

Todoroki eyed her, lips pressed into a thin line but made no attempt to push her and Naruto relaxed her shoulders. She tilted her head up, blue eyes locked onto the ceiling and then she darted her eyes to her classmates. Almost all of them seemed to be smiling, except for Iida.

Blue eyes locked on Iida and a frown played on her lips. Iida always had a stick up his ass but during this time, he would either be chatting to Uraraka or dashing straight to Tokoyami. _He should be scolding Tokoyami by now._ The raven-headed boy sat on his table, chatting with Koda without a care in the world. The frown on Naruto turned deeper.

_Something was not right._

"Is something wrong with Iida?" Todoroki pressed his lips into a frown, darted his eyes to the quiet boy and then looked at the other students. Naruto followed his eyes to Midoriya, head tilted to the side as Uraraka and Midoriya chatted over their shared experience of their new found celebrity status. She almost quirked her lips into a smile at the flushed expression of her friend.

_He always gets embarrass whenever a girl leans close to him._ She shook her head and looked at Todoroki, who almost frowned.

"His older brother got critically injured during the job," Naruto raised her eyebrow and Todoroki lowered his voice, eyes still fixated on Iida. "From what I know from the news, a villain attacked him and destroyed any chances of his brother going back to work."

Naruto bobbed her head as a pair of hateful black eyes flashed before her. _She was __**my **__mother._ Her shoulders trembled and the girl shoved the memory back, swallowing back the bile that rose up to her throat. Why did Todoroki's words reminded her of that incident? She inhaled and shook her head. Mismatch eyes showed no emotions but his hand seemed to inch closer to her shoulder.

She doesn't try to give him a fake smile or lie to him because Todoroki could always seemed to read through her lies. Naruto could only change the subject, hoping he would not bring it up to her because _she wasn't ready to talk about that day._

"So what did you do yesterday?"

Todoroki regarded her, shoulder tensing up and he swallowed like the topic might be painful for him to talk about. Blue eyes softened and Naruto placed her hand on top of his left shoulder, allowing the warmth to dry up the water that still decorated her whole body.

Finally, he lowered his voice. "I visited my mother."

Blue eyes widened and Naruto pulled her seat closer to him. Silence hung between them as mismatch eyes focused on the blackboard, not once looking straight at her but Naruto didn't need to see his eyes to know his feelings. She knew from the slight tremble in his body and the way his tone seemed to be mixed with confusion and another emotion that she was unfamiliar with.

"Are you okay?"

Todoroki tore his eyes away from the blackboard and he knitted his eyebrows, lips almost tugged into a frown. His hand hovered above his scar. "She apologized to me and even though I told her that it was okay, she still blames herself. I thought when I told her that I forgave her then it would stop."

Her heart ached at the hesitance and confusion that colored his tone. Most of their classmates seemed more busy with talking to each other then to notice their conversation. Knowing this, Naruto leaned closer to him and rubbed circles around him. She doesn't know what to tell him because she never experienced what Todoroki just experienced.

"You might forgive her but I doubt she forgave herself," she suggested quietly. He nodded, head tilted to the side and the blond-haired girl took in a deep breath. Todoroki looked at the blackboard and then stared at her, straightening his back and it was her turn to tilt her head.

"I want to save her from that place," he admitted quietly, looking directly at her.

Naruto quirked her lips into a tiny smile and Todoroki blinked, eyes growing wide. "Well if you continue showing your caring side and acting like this, Todoroki then I think you will have no problem saving her. You will make a good hero."

Todoroki quirked his lips slightly at her words and Naruto doesn't even attempt to drop her smile around him, only staring at him with blue eyes that twinkled with happiness. Words weren't spoken between them and Naruto relaxed her shoulders. She felt a slight flutter in her stomach and the classroom door slid opened.

Aizawa stepped through, bags under his eyes and Naruto felt her lips twitched at the sight of the tiny unicorn sticker stuck around his cheek._ He is going to kill me if he ever finds out that I suggested to Eri-chan to put it on his face._ Several eyes widened at the sight of the bright, pink unicorn sticker that seemed to be stuck on his face.

"_Naruto-neechan, are you sure that he will like it?"_

"Aizawa-sensei, why do you have a unicorn sticker on your cheek?" Uraraka called out. The black-haired man blinked, took out his phone and his eyebrows twitched at the sight of the sticker. He darted his eyes at her, almost looking at her with accusation that she would teach his foster daughter to prank him. The man pulled out the sticker, put on the podium.

"Eri must have put it while I took a nap," their teacher lowered his voice to the point that only Naruto could hear his next words. "And I'm going to kill Hizashi for not pointing it out to me earlier."

A small laugh escaped Naruto's lips and Todoroki turned his head at her. Mismatch eyes blinked as he tilted his head at her, eyebrows knitted together. Naruto raised her eyebrow, face growing hotter and hotter as her friend continued to look at her with funny eyes.

"What?" She finally barked, tearing her eyes away from him.

Todoroki blinked. "You look really pretty when you laugh."

Naruto felt her cheeks burning up at his words and the boy leaned closer to her, eyebrows knitted together. _I need to teach him to have a filter._ If Todoroki really kept saying those kind of words then he would really make some poor girl fall in love with him. _Maybe he is unconsciously a flirt._ Yup that must be it because Naruto was not that pretty.

"I want to talk to all of you about the pro hero draft picks that I mentioned before the Sports Festival," he swept his eyes at the students. All chatter died down at his words and sweat began to build around their foreheads. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip.

_I forgot all about that._

"The drafts actually begins during your second and third years," Chatter broke out and Aizawa narrowed his eyes at them. They quiet down and he swept on, "After students have gained experience and you can become immediate resources to the pro. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential."

Naruto rubbed the back of her shoulder and took a deep breath. Her whole body trembled and she bowed her head, taking a deep breath to calm down her racing heart.

_Why do I want to become a hero?_

"These offers are gone if that interest dies down in graduation."

The blonde nibbled her bottom lip and hunched her shoulders, taking deep breaths to relax her tensed shoulders. How many offers was she going to get? One? Two? Or maybe five? Her abilities with her jutsu were great, but would it have been enough to impress them? Her plan with Neji hadn't been enough for her to make chunin.

"Here are the totals for those with offers." Aizawa clicked the remote in his hand and graphs began to shoot across the broad, numbers spinning before they settled below names. "In other years, they were more evenly spread out, but all eyes were on these four this year."

"Wow, there is such a big differences!" Kaminari whined, head dropping back in defeat while Aoyama pouted.

"I can understand why Naruto is first but why is Todoroki second and Bakugou is third?" Jirou knitted her eyebrows together.

Naruto jerked her head up, blue eyes widening and her lips parted at the value displayed on the board. _4200 heroes want me._ Her throat tightened and there was a burning sensation around her throat. She pinched herself, wincing slightly as her nails dug against her hands. Todoroki jerked his head at her, eyebrows shooting to his hairline.

"Why did you do that?"

She swallowed the lump formed around her throat. "Do I really have that many heroes who want me to intern with them?"

Todoroki knitted his eyebrows and frowned. "Why would Aizawa-sensei make up values? You do have that many heroes who wants you to work with them."

His words were logical, the cold and hard truth because Aizawa might care for them but this was not his way to build up confidence. Naruto took a deep breath as mismatch eyes flashed with concern. He placed his left hand on her shoulders, forcing the girl to look up at him. _Why do you doubt yourself?_ She couldn't tell him about the chunin exam so she went for the next best thing.

"Why would that many people want me?" she allowed doubt and confusion to colour her tone. _No one ever wants me. It was always Sasuke or anyone that was like Sasuke. _Todoroki frowned and darted his eyes to the podium, where Aizawa stood. The black-haired man made no comment.

"You won the whole thing," Todoroki reminded her. "You used your Quirk with creativity that they probably did not expect. You kept winning throughout the rounds, which made them notice you. Of course, they would want you. To be honest, the creativity and the way you come up with plans…it is better than anyone here."

Naruto blinked and stared at him. Her throat tightened and she flashed a smile at him, feeling the flutter of happiness. _You are not smart enough to make that score._ Even though the words of her sensei still echoed in her ears, Naruto began to feel the small lingering doubt to fade away slightly.

Todoroki's words were probably not enough to make her forget those words but it was a start.

She darted her eyes to Bakugou's value and frowned. _I can take a quick guess on why they gave him a lower value than Pretty Boy._ She nibbled her bottom lip, rubbed the back of her neck and glanced at her classmate. The boy grunted, red eyes flashing with irritation at his value.

_You probably should have accepted second place with some grace and not make such a scene._

Naruto exhaled and looked at Todoroki. The mismatch boy frowned, lips pressed into a small scowl as his eyes took in his value which stood at a whooping 4123. He flickered his eyes to Bakugou, hunching his shoulders when red eyes glared at him.

"You know I thought you would be happy with that value," Naruto commented. She kept her tone light and easy, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and Todoroki focused his eyes on her. "Why aren't you please with it?"

Todoroki raised his eyebrow. "Uzumaki, I got third place so it make sense that I should have gotten a lower number of people that seemed interested in me. But instead it is higher than Bakugou and the only explanation is because they want to intern the Number Two Hero's kid. They aren't interested in me."

"Now you sound silly," he blinked and Naruto held back the urge to flick his forehead. _He might get just really confused at why I do it._ She locked her eyes on him. "Sure your father is in the top five but you have got a powerful Quirk. You might be distant but it is better than Explosive Head."

He blinked. "How is being distant better?"

"You aren't going to terrify kids," she said bluntly, jerking her head at Bakugou. "When Bakugou took his medal, he made a face that would have given any sane kid, nightmares. His Quirk might be flashy and he is a good fighter but he has a terrible personality."

_It is a miracle that Eri-chan hasn't talk about how scary Bakugou looked._

"But Uzumaki—"

"Not everything is about him," she insisted. "You might have gotten third place but you _earned_ those internships."

White cloth zoomed through the students, swirling and weaving until it wrapped itself around Todoroki and Naruto. Aizawa pulled the scarf, yanking the two student's heads together and everyone swirled their heads at them. The girls giggled while the boys shook their heads at them, looking faintly amused at them. _I don't understand what they find so funny._

"As I was saying," Aizawa narrowed his eyes at them and Naruto hunched her shoulders while Todoroki hung his head. "You have two weeks to make a decision on who you want to do your internships with. If anyone have questions on how to choose, don't hesitate to come either to me or All Might about how you should choose your internships. Remember to choose your internships wisely."

He walked through the aisle, handing each student their lists of offers. Aizawa stopped at her and Todoroki, lips pressed into a thin line and black eyes focused on them. She doesn't know why he kept looking at them but something must have pleased him. His lips curled slightly and he bobbed his head.

"Do I have to read all of this?" She flipped through the various pages, eyebrows shooting to her hairline and body trembling at the amount of papers.

Aizawa stopped and drawled. "If you want to make the most of your experience then you need to do your research, Uzumaki."

_How the hell can I make a choice from these many heroes?_

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me your thoughts about this chapter. What do you think of the interaction between the characters? And of the pace so far?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Did my parents abandon me?_

Naruto must have been around eight when the question formed in her mind. As the years passed, the question played in her mind because why was the Hokage refusing to answer her questions about her parents? The question of her parents haunted her every waking step because _she just wanted to know what her life would have been like if they had been alive._

The question turned to an answer in the autumn after the massacre of the Uchiha Clan. Naruto sat in her seat, a forced smile playing on her lips and the blonde bounce in her seat as Hinata pulled up her sleeves, hiding the scratches that she must have gotten during her training. Sitting right beside them was Ino, who was surprisingly early for once.

_She should have known why because Ino was always five minutes late. Her fellow blonde always made sure to look her best in the hopes that Sasuke would notice her._

"_Are the rumours true, Naruto?"_ Naruto knitted her eyebrows, tearing her eyes away from Hinata and staring at the teal eyes of her classmate. Dread crawled up her stomach at the way her classmate's eyes glinted with slight cruelty. Sure, Ino had her head tilted like she was curious but _she wasn't stupid._

"_What rumours?"_ Naruto kept her tone light and air-like, lips curled into a large smile and faked excitement of having one of the most popular girls in her class taking an interest in her. Hinata frowned, pale lilac eyes almost narrowing at the smiling platinum blond-haired girl.

Her friend tugged at Naruto's sleeve, forcing Naruto to look at the Hyuga Heiress. Lilac eyes flashed with concern and her best-friend nibbled in her bottom lip, fingers tightening around Naruto's wrist. _She knows that this is a trap._ Naruto faked a smile and patted her friend's head, hoping it would be enough to reassure her. _There is nothing that Ino can say that can break me._

"_That your parents abandoned you because they knew you were going to be a troublemaker."_ Her heart ached and the fake smile on Naruto's lips faded as her throat burned at the accusation. So many words bubbled in her throat, ready to be spit out but for the first time in her short life…Naruto could not move or say anything.

_Did they abandon me?_

No, the Hokage reassured her time in and time out that her Mummy and Daddy loves her. That they fought against the Kyuubi before dying. _He won't lie to me…would he? _She breathed in and out, blue eyes fading out as Hinata clenched her hands into a fist. The blue-haired girl rose up, lilac eyes flaring with anger and Naruto tugged her friend back.

Naruto blinked and Hinata shook her head. "_She is taking things too far, Naruto-chan!"_

_She knows but it was one thing for Naruto to get into trouble and a whole different story for Hinata._ She took several deep breaths, trying to calm down her racing heart and longed for some water to quench the burning sensation in her throat. Blue eyes locked eyes on her classmate, whose blue eyes glinted with almost joy at her reaction.

_First it was Ami and her gang, now it is Ino. Why are all the girls picking on me? Is it because I have been spending time with Sasuke again?_ The thought made her want to hurl because Sasuke was her friend. A friend, who was acting like a big baby and needed someone to guide him through this mess. _If anyone can understand her friend was going through then it was __**her.**_

_But Ino doesn't like Sasuke or that was what Naruto thought._ She knew Sakura had a crush on Sasuke, always peeking and hiding under her pink hair whenever Sasuke flickered his eyes to the window. But Ino had made no signs that she liked him. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip, closed her eyes and curled her lips into a mischievous smile as teal eyes stared dreamily at her friend when she thought no one was looking at her.

_Naruto doesn't realize until she returned back to Konoha that she had been the reason that Ino and Sakura broke their friendship over Sasuke._

"_You like him, don't you?"_ Ino stilled and Naruto fixated her blue eyes at Ino, lips curled into a bright smile and eyes shut close. The other students were starting to flood in and if her classmate wanted to destroy her, then Naruto would do the same to her. Lilac eyes widened as Ino took a step backward, lips parting in horror and whispers broke around the classroom.

"_Ino-chan likes Sasuke-kun?"_

"_But didn't she tell us that she doesn't like him?"_

The words of her classmates bounced off the walls of the classroom and Naruto tilted her head and forced herself to make a stupid smile. Hinata darted her eyes from Naruto to Ino before swirling her head to the door, where Sakura stood. Green eyes widened and the pink-haired girl clenched her jaw.

"_I-I don't like him!"_ Denial coloured her classmate's eyes as teal eyes darted to the girls that seemed to be surrounding them. _If you are going to hurt me then I will make sure that your dirty secret is aired out to the whole world._ Naruto thinks that was the reason she didn't try to stop herself from airing out the realization, because Ino's words pierced through her heart.

_Because Ino spoke out the doubt that coloured her perception of her parents._

"_But you are always staring at him,"_ Teal eyes widened and Naruto just smiled goofily, putting her arms around her head and a part of her took delight in hearing the whispers of her classmates at the gossip. Ino clenched her hands into a fist, teal eyes flashing with anger and Naruto just smiled even wider. "_And weren't you writing Mrs. Uchiha in your notebook?"_

That was a lie but the growing pinkness of the blond-haired girl's face confirmed Naruto's suspicion. It made everyone whisper and nodding their heads as they spoke about seeing her doodle. Naruto resumed her seat, head looking up to the ceiling and just whistled a song that she heard on television. Her lips curled into a bigger smile and knew that Ino was fuming over the fact that she, the _so-called deadlast,_ was able to pick up the signs when all the other girls believed her lies.

_If Ino never tried to be cruel and spread those rumours then Naruto would have never called her out of her crush, but girls were always mean to her whenever Sasuke was involved._

"_I know why your parents abandoned you,"_ Ino spat out and the smile on Naruto's face faded as now everyone turned to look at the whiskered girl. A twisted smile played on her lips and the girl leaned forward, locking eyes on her. "_They didn't abandon you because you were a troublemaker, but because they knew you would be a bitch! A monster!"_

"_They didn't abandon me."_ She snarled, clenching her hands into a fist. "_And I'm not a fucking monster!"_

Ino hummed and smiled even wider. "_Face it Naruto, they __**never**__ loved you."_

The smile faded when Naruto lunged at the girl, teeth baring at the girl and the blonde scratched her as her heart howled at the thought that maybe Ino's words were true. That they abandoned her because they thought she was a monster. _Because that was what everyone called her: a monster._ They must have abandoned her in that orphanage because what type of father _would choose to fight the Kyuubi over watching the birth of his child._

_What type of mother would be willing to choose to fight a monster instead of going to the shelters with her child, because she should have been their priority…not the village._

After that day, Naruto doesn't ask the Hokage about her parents until her teacher revealed that she had a monster in her gut. Even then the Hokage never answered her questions, deeming her too young to know who her parents were.

_No one cares about how much she needed the reassurance that her parents did love her. That she deserved the right to know how the Hokage ended up choosing her as the vessel of the Kyuubi if her parents didn't abandon her._

* * *

"_Do you want to tell me why you were upset when Eri mention Guardian?"_

Blue eyes focused on the black eyes of her teacher, who turned his chair to look at her. The teacher's office seemed to be mostly empty, except for All Might who seemed to be reading through a couple of papers. It was the beginning of break time so it made sense for the teachers to go to the canteen to bring in some food for them to eat. Black eyes flashed with concern and Naruto took a deep breath.

She hunched her shoulders and looked out at the window. "Ero-Sennin hasn't done anything wrong."

"Uzumaki." Disapproval leaked into his tone and the blond-haired girl flickered her eyes to All Might. She relaxed her shoulders and scratched her head at the sight of the man shivering like he was seeing a monster. _I wonder what can terrify the strongest hero in the world._ She shook her head. "Tell me the truth."

Naruto inhaled and slumped her shoulder. "He told me that I might have family members from my mother's side of the family."

_I'm not even sure if it is my mother's side of the family or my father's side of _ _the family._ She grinded her teeth together and took several deep breaths as this morning's encounter flashed before her eyes. _I refuse to acknowledge you as a member of Uzumaki clan._ She grinded her teeth together and took several deep breaths.

She doesn't want to belong to a clan that was going to reject her.

"Might? You aren't certain about it?" Naruto just looked out at the window and black eyes focused on her. All Might looked up, head swirling towards them and Aizawa shook his head. She took in a deep breath, swallowing down a lump as Ino's words echoed in her mind.

'_They knew you would be a bitch. A monster.'_

She grinded her teeth and swallowed down a lump. "I don't know much about my parents except for the fact that I carry my mother's last name. I know that my mother died, giving birth to me while my father fought against a villain."

Did her father even see her birth? Had he really loved her like the Old Man claimed or did they hate her? Her head throbbed at the thought and grinded her teeth together as her jaws clenched together. She took another deep breath, hoping and praying that her headache would soon fade away.

Aizawa placed his large hand on top of her shoulder and she looked up, blue eyes growing wide at the level of concern that was shining through his eyes. Her throat tightened again but she forced herself to take another deep breath, allowing her shoulders to relax. Finally when she felt that she had her emotions under control, Naruto flashed her teacher a smile.

"Uzumaki, you don't have to answer the question but did Jiraiya-san ever tell you who your parents were?"

Naruto shook her head and looked out at the window. _I doubt he knows who my parents were because no one seems to know where I came from._ She nibbled her bottom lip and just tilted her head down, hiding her whole face from him. Her fingers clenched against her skirt and the man frowned.

"Did you ask him why he never—"

"I never asked him about my parents because I don't want to know them anymore!" Her tone was harsh and she parted her lips. Black eyes locked on her and Naruto took several deep breath, jaws clenched tightly as her childhood flashed before her eyes. The empty apartment, the hurtful words of the other children and the words _I will tell you when you are sixteen or when you become chunin._ "They abandoned me."

"Uzumaki, you don't know—"

Naruto shook her head. "What do you call it when your father decides to go and fight a villain instead of being there for his partner on her birthing bed? What do you call it when he decides that protecting people were more important than his own kid? You probably have parents but I always have to live with the question of whether or not he loved me."

_They __**never**__ loved you._

If her parents loved her then why did they allow her to become the jinchuuriki? No one protected her from the matron that called her a monster. Her breath hitched. A whole year was spent begging on the streets because no one dared to approach her. The teachers insulted her. Kids reminded her time in and time out that she had been the only kid that never knew her parents.

"Uzumaki, if you think like this then why did you decide to become a Hero?" Aizawa asked. There was no reprimand in his tone but just pure curiosity that coloured his tone. Black eyes locked on her and Naruto just stared out at the ground, uncertain of how to answer his question. She doesn't know why she wants to be a Hero because she might just do the same thing as her parent.

No, she would not do the same thing because no sane boy would love her.

"I don't know," Aizawa blinked and he darted his eyes to All Might. The Number One Hero just stared at her, lips curled into an almost curious look and he tilted his head. Naruto just focused on the world around her. "There are a lot of things about my actions that I never thought about. Why do I want to become a Hero? I don't know. Do I really want to be a Hero? I still don't know the answer to that. Why Yuuei? I still have no clue."

Aizawa stared at her and he let out a sigh. He darted his eyes to All Might and the man blinked before scambling out of the room, making some comment about meeting Midoriya. _There is something really fishy about that relationship._ Naruto pushed that thought out of her mind and her teacher looked at her.

"Uzumaki, I can't help you answer those questions but I will tell you that I was in a similar position to you," Naruto blinked and her teacher locked his eyes on her. "I got into Yuuei through recommendations but I was never fully serious about becoming a hero, just like you. As a friend would like to say, I slacked off and just didn't have the motivation to become a hero."

Naruto blinked. "You? But that test you made us do and the way you seemed so willing to protect us, makes it hard for me to believe."

"My family chose this path for me and it was never _my_ decision in the beginning," her teacher explained. "All of my teachers noticed it and they never called me out for it. I never fully realize just how much of a slacker I was, until my own internship in my second year of Yuuei."

No emotion leaked into his voice but Naruto saw the slight tremble in his shoulder. She nibbled her bottom lip, realizing that maybe her teacher was dealing with similar issue as her. _Is that why he always insists that I go to therapy? Is this why he always knows not to push me about it?_ Her throat tightened and she decided for the first time in her life, not to annoy her teacher for answers.

If he could do this for her then she could respect his wishes.

"My friend got badly injured in the internship," Aizawa explained, clearing his throat. "No one blamed me for what happened but I knew if I had just worked harder than he would never get hurt. I realized why I wanted to be a hero on that day because I don't want to see anyone get hurt ever again. My friend believed that heroes should help people, should rescue them…and I decided to follow in that footsteps."

Naruto stared at her teacher. "Aizawa-sensei, is it okay if I ask this but what happened to him?"

Her teacher doesn't answer but the sombre silence that seemed ready to suffocate her was all the hint that she needed. _Either his friend is dead or he can't ever accomplish his dream._ She looked down at her own hands, taking deep breaths and she stared at him.

"Is this why you are telling us to choose our internships wisely?"

Aizawa nodded. "Uzumaki, if you really want to figure out why you want to be a hero then you need to pick a hero that you think is the most capable of helping you figure out this question. They don't need to have the same background as you, but pick someone that you know can help guide you into making the right decision."

"Aizawa-sensei…"

"You have the potential of becoming a great hero," Naruto blinked and her teacher locked his eyes on her. "But that potential won't mean anything unless you figure out what drives you to be a hero. If you lack motivation Uzumak, it won't just be you paying the price but also the people around you that will pay the price."

She bobbed her head and darted her eyes to her backpack, where the list of offered internship lay. _So how do I figure out which hero will suit me? How do I figure out they can help me?_ Naruto's shoulders slumped and the blonde took a deep breath.

_You have two weeks to figure out who to work with._

Two weeks should be enough time for her to figure out who she wanted to intern under. It was not like her classmates would know in just one day, who they wanted to intern with.

* * *

"How are you guys going to pick your internship?"

Naruto paused and slurped as Izuku darted his eyes from her to Todoroki and then to Uraraka and Iida. His eyebrows knitted together and he tilted his head to the side, focusing on the two teens. Sitting right beside Naruto was Todoroki and the mismatch boy put down his chopsticks, raising a single eyebrow at them.

"You can't pick?"

Izuku nodded and pushed his chicken back and forth, white teeth chewing his lips. "I have got a whole page that lists out the offered internships and it is really difficult to choose who I want to intern with."

Naruto hummed and looked at her reflection on the soup. _If Izuku is struggling then there is no hope for me._ She twirled the end of her ponytail, nibbling her bottom lip and mismatch eyes darted towards the girl. He frowned and stared at Izuku, who shook his head at the boy. Todoroki nodded and just gazed at the blond-haired girl.

"My list isn't as big as you guys but I am going to pick a hero that will help me to improve my combat skill," Uraraka declared. Brown eyebrows knitted together and the girl pumped her hands into a fist. "Bakugou really wiped the floor with me and it made me realize that I need to improve my martial arts skills."

Izuku blinked and tilted his head, eyebrows rising up to his hairline. Naruto almost smiled at her classmate, a small laugh escaped from her lips and Todoroki darted his eyes at her. _What? It is kind of cute how determines she looks. _She hid her lips against her bowl of ramen, drinking in the salty taste of the broth.

"What about you, Iida-kun?" Blue eyes looked up from her soup and she fixated her eyes on their Class President. The boy took a deep breath, body tensing up and Naruto narrowed her eyes. _Is he still upset about his brother? Isn't he happy that his brother was alive?_ She shook her head and looked up at the ceiling.

"Unfortunately, I have not thought about who I want to intern with." Iida pushed his glasses up and looked down at his own food. Naruto sighed, feeling her shoulders relaxed as she realized that this was a common problem faced by everyone. _Pick someone that can help guide you in the right direction._ That was Aizawa's advice to her and Uraraka decided by choosing someone that can help her in a quest of becoming stronger.

Should she follow her teacher's advice? Or should she pick her internship like how Uraraka did? Naruto slumped her shoulders and looked at her empty bowl. She couldn't make the same decision, as her classmate because none of them could help her with her jutsu. She had a mentor in Jiraiya, who was probably one of the strongest shinobi in the world. So it would be pointless but who could help her figure out what would drive her to be her hero?

"What about you, Todoroki-kun?"

Todoroki tore his eyes away from Naruto and locked eyes on Izuku. "I'm going to intern with my father."

Naruto jerked her head and stared at her friend, eyebrows shooting to her hairline and blue eyes flashed with a concern. She leaned her body closer to him, darting her eyes to Izuku. Green eyes widened and he began to babble about which heroes that he really wanted to intern with. _Thank you, Izuku._ Mismatch eyes locked on her and the chatter around them seemed to muffle in her ears.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea? He hurt you." Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and kept her tone low. Todoroki pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes focused on her eyes and then moved his eyes up to her forehead, where the blonde could feel a throbbing sensation around the side of her head.

"I know," Todoroki took a deep breath and looked down at her eyes. "He is a terrible father but no one can deny that he is a good hero. If I want to learn how to be a good hero then I should learn from the best…I'm going to use him like how he used me."

She pressed her lips into a thin line. "You think that this is going to be easy for you? I know you want to be a good hero and you will be an amazing hero, but is this really a good idea for you?"

Mismatch eyes softened and Naruto frowned, cheeks puffing slightly and he offered her a slight smile. She puffed her cheeks, not understanding one bit why her friend was smiling at her. Midoriya darted his eyes at them, lips almost curled into a tiny smile, while Todoroki stared at her.

"Thank you, Uzumaki."

Blue eyes blinked and the girl finally knitted her eyebrows as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Why are you thanking me, Todoroki?"

"Because you are worried for me and it isn't easy for you to show that concern." Naruto felt her lips twitched and the silence between them felt comfortable. The chatter that surrounded them was the only thing that could be heard as the blond-haired girl saw the genuine gratefulness in her friend's eyes. Blue eyes shifted to the side and she blinked when Izuku looked at her with soft eyes.

_Something tells me that he has been spending more time with Jiraiya._

"What about you, Uzumaki? You must have gotten a lot of offers."

Naruto tear her eyes away from Izuku and looked at the brown-haired girl. Her classmate juggled her chopstick against her mouth, eyebrows knitted together and the blonde slumped her shoulder at the reminder. _I really don't know anything. _She hung her head. "I don't know."

Blue eyes caught sight of Bakugou hunching his shoulders as he stalked closer to the trash. Her classmate stopped and red eyes locked onto her, lips curled into his usual scowl. For a brief moment, his eyes went from her bright blond hair to her blue eyes. He pressed his lips into a thin line and he clicked his heels together, shaking his head furiously.

"Blasty."

Bakugou twitched and twisted his whole body around, lips curled into a scowl. "What Whiskers?"

Naruto tilted her head, blue eyes focused on her classmate and her lips almost wobbled at the thought of questioning him about his choice. _I must be really desperate because it is Bakugou. His answer is obvious._ She knew this but something compelled her to question him. Maybe it was the hope that there was a chance that he would be just as confused as her. Just like her, he didn't come from a hero family.

"Have you decided on who you are going to do your internship?"

He snorted and puffed his chest. "Of course, I'm going for Best Jeanist."

"That would be a terrible idea for you, Hot Head." Bakugou scowled and swirled his head around as Setsuna and Kendou walked up with their own tray. The green-haired teen locked eyes on the blond-haired boy, lips curled into an amused smile as her eyes locked on the boy's uniform. "Y'know what Best Jeanist is best known for? He is going to take one look of your outfit and give you fashion advice."

Bakugou bristled while Izuku squeaked, swirling his head at Naruto. _Don't look at me like that? Setsuna already made it clear in the Sports Festival that she isn't scared of him._ The blonde shuddered as she recalled the way her teammate (or was she a friend now?) admired the blond-haired boy's shoulders. Honestly, what was so attractive about Bakugou was just a complete mystery to her.

"What did you say, Lizard? Do you think my fashion sense is crap?"

The girl bobbed her head. "That's what my words implied."

"My parents work in the damn fashion industry," Uraraka and Iida's eyes widened at this knowledge while Kendou gawked at the knowledge. Naruto just curled her lips and Setsuna blinked. "So I know some fashion. If anyone has terrible fashion sense then it is Whiskers."

"Orange is a wonderful colour!"

Bakugou scowled. "Not the shade of orange that you like to wear!"

"Like you are the one to talk! You wear your pants like you are some kind of gangster."

* * *

"Uzumaki-chan!"

Naruto felt the air inside her chest being squeezed out when Nejire grabbed her from behind, thin arms hugging the girl and swinging her around like there was no tomorrow. The blonde stretched her neck up, blue eyes looking everywhere to find someone that can save her. Blue eyes locked on the sight of Amejiki and Togata, who laughed at the exchange. _You won't be laughing if you have been squeezed like you were some kind of teddy bear._

"Nejire, I can't breathe." Naruto choked out and the girl giggled before releasing the blond-haired girl from the hug. The girl clutched her chest, taking in deep breaths as the cherry blossoms glided down, tanging at the girl's hair. Her friend just smiled sheepishly while Amejiki just shook his head.

"Sorry, Uzumaki-chan but it feels like forever since we haven't seen each other!" Nejire puffed her cheeks and leaned forward to the blonde. Blue eyes twinkled with joy and Naruto blinked when the girl touched the whisker marks adorned on the girl's face. Her senior poked and even squeezed her cheeks. "You look so cute today."

"I look the same." Naruto muttered under her breath and her senior shook her head. The older girl's eyes darted to Amejiki, lips curled into a small smile as the boy stared at the younger teen. The blonde tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together when the boy flushed a light shade of pink and looked away from her. _Weirdos. Any boy that looks like Sasuke is as much as a weirdo as him._

Nejire hummed. "Your eyes looks different, it looks even prettier…right Tamaki?"

Naruto blinked and looked at the indigo-haired senior, who sweated and rubbed the back of his neck as three sets of eyes fixated on him. Taking a deep breath, the boy opened his mouth to say something and then furiously shook his head. _So he doesn't find my eyes pretty? Why did Nejire ask him then?_ Nejire slumped her shoulders, shaking her head while Togata leaned closer to the boy.

Togata must have said something because her senior jerked his head, lips curled into a frown and he gulped down a lump. "Y-Your eyes are really pretty, Uzumaki-san," Naruto blinked and the boy shifted his leg as Mirio gestured for the boy to say something else. The boy gulped. "It looks like the sky."

Togata slumped his shoulders and Nejire flickered her eyes at Naruto. The blonde knitted her eyebrows, lips curled almost to a small frown and without thinking about it, Naruto strolled towards him. Her senior shifted his body around and a pair of lilac eyes flashed before Naruto, reminding her of the days when Hinata had very little confidence. _I think he was trying to apologize to me by saying those words._

Yup, her only explanation.

"Thank you," Amejiki blinked and Naruto smiled encouragingly at him. "And you're forgiven."

Togata blinked. "What do you mean forgiven? Tamaki was—"

Amejiki hugged his friend, covered his mouth and flashed a nervous smile at Naruto. _What was Togata going to tell me?_ She darted her eyes to Nejire and her lips curled into a frown when her senior didn't have her usual smile playing on her lips. Instead, the girl just darted her eyes at her and tilted her head like she was contemplating something.

"Nejire?" Nejire tore her eyes away from Amejiki and stared at Naruto. The knitted eyebrows faded away along with the frown, replaced with a bright smile that almost reminded the blonde of the sunny skies that surrounded them. Maybe her friend was not thinking about something. "Are you okay?"

"Yup! Why wouldn't I be? I beat Mirio and Tamaki in our team exercise today!" her friend just laughed and babbled on about her day. Naruto felt her lips tugging downwards at the amusement and sadness that coloured the laugh. A smile broke out of her senior's face but it wobbled and Naruto chewed her tongue as questions bubbled around her throat. Why would her senior lie to her about her feelings?

She shook her head and pressed her fingers together, kept her legs stuck in place as she watched the three shadows of her upperclassmen. _You need to pick a hero that can help guide you._ But how would she know which hero to choose? _Of course, I'm going for Best Jeanist?_ Why could Bakugou be so confident and she could not? More and more words echoed in her ears and the blonde clenched her hands.

"Togata-senpai, Nejire and Amejiki-senpai!" The three teens stopped walking, eyes widening as if they just realized that she just stopped walking. The three of them swirled their bodies, lips curled into a frown and eyebrows knitted together. "I have a question to ask you."

She shifted her feet back and forth, one hand combing her hair as she locked eyes on the three teens. The wind swept her hair to the side and the cold breeze kissed her cheeks, almost as if trying to give her the reassurance to spit the words out. Several words build around her throat, clogging her up as her seniors just continued to look at her. She took a deep breath.

"How did you guys pick your internship?" She choked out the words and looked down at her feet, shoulders hunched together. No laughter came from them, no words even and the blond-haired girl perked up. She knitted her eyebrows and blue eyes widened when Nejire flashed her an understanding smile.

The periwrinkle-girl walked back to her, put her hands on her shoulder and looked up at the cherry blossom. "You are feeling overwhelmed, aren't you? It is normal if you have a lot of offers."

"Aizawa-sensei told us to pick wisely and I don't know whose advice to follow." She slumped her shoulders and blinked when the girl placed her hand on top of Naruto's head. She patted the blonde, lips curled into a bright smile as Amejiki and Togata shuffled back to them. "How did you do it?"

"I picked Ryukyu because I wanted to learn how to keep my composure when I fought villains and because I thought she would help me overcome the weak point of my Quirk," Nejire explained. She stroke Naruto's hair, lips curled into a bright smile as she darted her eyes to Amejiki. "Tamaki accepted Fat Gum because of the way their Quirks complemented each other."

"He only scouted me because he wanted to torment me," Amejiki grumbled, looking away when Naruto turned to him. A small scowl played on her lips and a pair of black eyes flashed before her, reminding her of a time when another boy looked like that.

Togata laughed. "You made it easy for him since you don't keep your crush a secret from anyone with eyes."

Amejiki's cheeks flushed pink and the boy seemed to stiffened. Naruto frowned and darted her eyes at Nejire, who just smiled at the interactions between them. Her shoulders seemed to be shaking, but the smile on her senior's face did not falter one bit at the reminder that her own crush liked someone else.

She couldn't imagine how terrible it must be to have an unrequired love. Naruto slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath, staring at Mirio. Her fellow blonde had a bright, cheerful smile as he looked at the skies and then his eyes landed on her. He let out a small laugh.

"And how did Togata-senpai choose?" She kept her tone light as the tense silence between the four of them break. Her fellow blonde rubbed the back of his neck, smiling even wider at her. Sir Nighteye was the hero that Togata worked under if Naruto recalled correctly, but how did they end up working together? Togata smiled and laugh while that hero had a stick up his butt.

Her senior laughed. "When I started out, no one really wanted to intern me because I don't have a good handle of my Quirk. Sir took one look of my performance in the Sports Festival and decided to take me in. He helped me get a real good hold of my Quirk and even though a lot of people doubted me, he believed in me. I guess it is easier when you only had one person to help you out."

_Lucky bastard. _She slumped her shoulders and just stared up at the clear, blue sky. Hearing so many stories and reasons now, Naruto still felt like there was no way for her to narrow down her options. Maybe she could cut down anyone that was not in the Top 50 but that would be the only way. She blinked when Togata ruffled her hair, lips curled into a smile as Nejire took a step back.

"You know Tamaki can help you narrow it down since he always had a lot of offers."

Indigo eyes widened. "Mirio—"

"He is an expert," her senior continued, twisting his head to flash his friend a smile. "I know _he would be so happy_ to help you narrow down the list. In fact, I know for a fact that he doesn't have any work tomorrow so he would be willing to help you out."

"Mirio, I know what you are—" Amejiki stopped in his tracks when Naruto flashed him a hopeful smile. He slumped his shoulders, cheeks flushed pink and he bobbed his head. Mirio twisted his whole body away, lips curled into a cheerful smile as he made the victory sign.

"Thank you, Amejiki-senpai." Naruto tackled him into a hug because the thought that someone helping her made her smile. The boy squeaked, face growing even more red and the blonde blinked, not understanding why he was embarrassed. Nejire giggled while Togata let out a laugh as the boy snapped out of his daze.

"Y-You're welcome."

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. Do you think that Naruto should do her internship with Uzushiokage like in the original? Or do you think that she should do her internship elsewhere? If so, which hero do you think that Naruto should intern with and why? Also what do you think of Naruto's childhood self?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_You need to pick a hero that you think is the most capable of helping you figure out this question._

A pebble smacked against Naruto's forehead, falling gently down to her lap. Her forehead throbbed and stung, forcing the girl to look up from the ground and to the dark eyes of her mentor. Jiraiya folded his arm, black eyes flashing with concern at her and shook his head. "This isn't the time for you to be distracted."

Naruto rubbed her forehead and sighed, bobbing her head. This wasn't the time for her to think about her internship but a time for her to focus on her internship. A large breath was inhaled and blue eyes focused on the dark night sky, fingers reaching up as if she was almost trying to catch the stars.

Jiraiya stared at her, dark eyes focusing on the girl, and Naruto avoided his eyes. Meditation had been the goal of today's training but her mind wandered instead of focusing on the task at hand. But focus was hard when she had another thirteen days to figure out which hero to see. Tomorrow, Amejiki-senpai might help her but what if he was not enough to figure out?

"Do you want to talk about what is causing you to be distracted?" His tone carried out by the wind and Naruto shook her head. Jiraiya would be the last person to help her with her problem, not when genins did not face the situation that she was in. He nodded and looked at the girl's tense shoulders, lips pressed into a small frown.

Finally, a small sigh escaped from his lips and Jiraiya rubbed his chin. His eyes were still locked on the girl. "Naruto, I'm going to teach you something new."

Naruto looked up, blue eyes growing wide and bounced at the news. "Is it another wind jutsu? Are you going to teach me more taijutsu?"

"Those aspects of your training are going to be put on hold," Jiraiya declared. He took a deep breath and darted his eyes to her stomach, where her seal was placed. "It is time that you learn how to control the Kyuubi."

Her smile dropped at his words and fear crept into her stomach. The hairs on her arm stood up as blue eyes grew wide at the intention of her mentor. No, he could not ask her to control that monster. She inhaled deeply, arms trembling and she clenched her hands around her t-shirt. "I refuse to learn how to control _that monster."_

Jiraiya inhaled and walked towards her, kneeling down till their eyes were at eye level. He laid his hands on top of her shoulder, making blue eyes to look up at him. A small, understanding smile played on his lips and Naruto took in a shaky breath. She forced herself to look away from him.

"Naruto, I know you are scared after what happened last time," she tensed up and he inhaled. "But you need to learn how to use it."

"I don't wanna use it."

Jiraiya frowned. "You won't ever get stronger if you never learn how to use it."

"But it isn't my power!" Naruto yelled, breathing in and out like she was out of breath. "It's the Kyuubi's Power."

Jiraiya frowned and pressed his lips into a very thin line at her words. Naruto folded her arms against her chest, blue eyes flaring with annoyance as the man that was her mentor, shook his head at her. Dark eyes looked at her like she was a child for saying this but it was not her strength. How could she consider herself to be strong if she used the monster's power?

The Kyuubi was a last resort.

A small sigh escaped from Jiraiya's lips and black eyes gazed at her with uncertainty and weariness. She tapped her feet and straightened her back, waiting for the man to attempt to convince her to use the monster that caused her terrible childhood. Blue eyes stared defiantly at the man, who vowed to make her training even harsher so that she could be strong.

Finally, Jiraiya slumped his shoulders and he shook his head. "I can't force you to do something that you don't want to do, but can we try for a middle ground Naruto?"

She tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows together, lips curled into a curious smile. She kept her eyes focused on him, not daring to look anywhere but the man that seemed to be willing to listen to her desire. Naruto leaned forward and Jiraiya almost smiled at her words. The small tug on the corner of his lips was enough for the girl to see that he seemed to be pleased to have her attention.

"And what is the middle ground?" Naruto questioned.

"I will teach you Senjutsu since you seem to be insistent that you won't ever use the Kyuubi, however—"

"—What's senjutsu?"

Jiraiya patted the empty spot right beside him and Naruto took that to mean he wanted her to sit right beside him as he explained the whole concept to her. Her legs sprang into action, jumping up from her spot in front of him and the girl dashed to take a seat right beside him. Blue eyes glinted with excitement as Naruto bounced in excitement, forgetting her dislike of what the man wanted her to do earlier.

"Senjutsu is an ability that will allow you to absorb and control the Natural energy around us," Jiraiya explained slowly. He rubbed his chin and focused his eyes on her. "You need to learn how to draw that natural energy inside your body, blend it with your own chakra and thus you will make senjutsu chakra."

"And how will that make me stronger?" She tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows as the animals started to retreat to their homes. Blue eyes darted to the owls that were now coming out of their hiding spot from the trees as the night sky turned even darker.

"Your physical strength will be enhanced," Jiraiya explained and Naruto felt her lips twitched as the image of a huge crater, the size of a small town, appeared in her mind. She rubbed her hands together. "And your speed as well as your stamina would be increased along with your reflexes."

_I would be unstoppable._ A pebble smacked Naruto on the forehead and the blonde swirled her head to Jiraiya. The man's black eyes held no emotion and his lips were curled into a thin line, making him look like he was sucking some lemons. She frowned and knitted her eyebrows together, not understanding one bit of why the man was displeased with her.

"Naruto, what you are going to learn isn't something that you can take lightly," Jiraiya informed her. "I'm taking a very big risk with allowing you to learn this type of jutsu. If you aren't carefully, you might end up becoming like stone."

_Everything has a drawback._ A smile still played on her lips and Naruto still bounced in her seat, even though she knew what he just told her was no joke. Jiraiya took in a deep breath as he rubbed the back of his neck, black eyes focused on the trees and animals that surrounded them.

"I know that you can master this," Jiraiya said and the blonde blinked, surprised by the level of conviction in her mentor's voice. He offered her a small smile and laid his hand on the top of her head, ruffling her hair. "You are now old enough to learn this and you have shown me that you have mastered your basics."

She beamed at his compliment, blue eyes shone with so much joy that Jiraiya blinked at her. His lips curled into a small smile and a large hand hovered above her head before he laid it on top of her head. He ruffled her hair and black eyes looked at her like she made him proud for putting all of her effort into making sure that she took his advice about her taijutsu.

"You are talented Naruto but senjutsu will be a struggle," he tells her. "The Fourth Hokage struggled with it, so don't beat yourself up if you can't master it immediately. If you want to master it then you will need to forget any thought of getting sleep because if you aren't working, studying then you will do this. So don't complain."

Blue eyes blazed with determination and Naruto clenched her hands into a fist, pumping it straight up in the air. "I want to get stronger."

If Jiraiya was making good with his promise then the blonde would do the same for him.

* * *

The sight of a pair of light purple sneakers sitting on the front steps of his entrance made Shouto paused, mismatch eyes focusing on the sight. He nibbled his bottom lip, eyebrows scrunched together as he knelt down to inspect the shoes. The color seemed to be faded, looking like it had been worn over a thousand times and not some kind of brand new shoe that his sister just suddenly decided to buy.

He inhaled and walked through the hallway, only to stop at the living room where girly laughter echoed throughout the corridor. Shouto knitted his eyebrows, dragging his legs to the entrance of the living room and peaked through the door of the living room. Mismatch eyes widened at the sight of his oldest sister laughing and giggling as a gray-haired woman wrinkled her nose.

"Who is this?" The laughter died down as his sister's grey eyes darted towards him. She blinked and twisted her head to look at the clock that had its small hand at the seven position. Her friend blinked, violet eyes taking him in and focused deeply on the burnt scar that marked his face. A frown played on her lips.

Shouto looked away, body turning towards his sister.

"You're back early," his sister finally choked out. A small frown played on her lips as Fuyumi shifted her legs back into the proper sitting position. "Did something happen in school?"

He shook his head. "I was finishing off homework that Aizawa-sensei assigned us."

Fuyumi relaxed her shoulders, lips curled into a large smile while her friend still gazed at the burnt mark that was forever a reminder of what his mother did to him. He cleared his throat and the woman smiled apologetically, but her eyes still lingered on the scar on his left side of his face.

"Fuyumi, who's this?"

His sister blinked and darted her eyes to the gray-haired woman, white teeth nibbling her lips like she was not certain of how to introduce her friend. The gray-haired woman smiled but for some strange reason Shouto did not feel the same kind of warmth that Uzumaki could provoke out of him or his mother. He knitted his eyebrows. Uraraka also smiled at him earlier but his stomach did not even feel warm.

He wondered what was the difference.

"My name is Uzumaki," mismatch eyes widened and the violet-eyed woman paid no attention, "Tomoyo and I would like to say that I'm your sister's best friend."

_Uzumaki?_ Blue eyes flashed before him alongside the empty apartment that felt just as cold as the home that he currently lived in. Shouto inhaled and schooled his expression as the woman flickered her eyes to the empty shelves in the house. Her lips curled almost into a tiny frown and violet eyes seemed to be almost faded as if recalling another time.

"You know the last time I stepped into this house, you were three and trailing after Fuyumi-chan and Touya-kun," her voice sounded almost wistful and his sister hunched her shoulders, eyes almost tearing up and Shouto could only rub his neck. The woman smiled. "Now look at you, you are taller than Fuyumi-chan and just as handsome as ever. I bet you must be breaking a couple of girls' hearts now."

Shouto blinked and knitted his eyes. "How can I break their hearts?"

She blinked and did not smile or laugh at his words. If Naruto was here, she would be shaking her head and explain the whole concept to him. Midoriya would be sweating and looking nervous just like he did when some girl came up to him with some line about how he made her heart beat so quickly.

_Uzumaki and Midoriya laughed for some reason._

"Tomoyo-chan just decided to visit me out of the blue," His sister explained. Her friend laughed but her violet eyes seemed to be darting everywhere like she was expecting something. Fuyumi smiled and raised a single eyebrow at the woman. "I really did think you were too busy trying to become a doctor to visit poor, little me."

The young woman laughed and shook her head. "Well I decided to take a break and visit my favorite Todoroki."

Fuyumi beamed at the woman and the gray-haired woman pat his sister on the head before reaching out to take a drink of the tea. Her hand seemed to carefully avoid the edges of the table, fingers wrapping around the round tea cups and plates that his sister used once in a blue moon. Mismatch eyes focused on the woman, lips curling into a frown at this image.

_It is almost like she is one of those clones that Uzumaki likes to use._

"How was school today?" Mismatch eyes darted to his sister. A nervous smile played on her lips and Fuyumi fidgeted, fingers wrapping around the ends of her wavy hair. "Did anything interesting happen?"

Shouto bobbed his head and took his seat on the other side of the room. His fingers unclasped his shoulder bag, dropping it onto the ground and he sunk into the chair. His sister raised an eyebrow, grey eyes seemed to be pleading for him to make some kind of conversation.

"Aizawa-sensei talked about internships," he pulled out the list of offered internship and focused his eyes on the name of his father's agency. Concerned blue eyes flashed before him and her worried tone echoed in his ear, reminding him of the big risk that he planned to take. He swallowed down the lump that clogged his throat. "And I've decided to go with Father."

He doesn't dare say shitty old man in front of her friend, not when Fuyumi was probably the only one that seemed to have some hope for the man.

Grey eyes widened and Fuyumi nibbled her lips like she always does whenever she felt concern for him. Violet eyes stared at him, lips pressed into a thin line as her own fingers danced around the front of her arms. His sister cleared her throat, tugged the collar of her shirt and a part of him was grateful that he made no comment.

"So how many offers did you and Naruto get?" Fuyumi's lips trembled as she forced a smile to play on her lips. Tomoyo stared at him, lips curled into a fake smile as her violet eyes flashed with curiosity. She leaned her body forward slightly and tilted her head at him. "It must have been a lot."

"I got 4100 and Naruto received around 4200," his sister blinked at him and he blinked, realizing that it was the first time he called his friend by her first name. It made sense when he considered that the girl had the same last name as the woman in front of him.

Tomoyo gazed at him. "Are the two of you friends?"

Shouto nodded and Fuyumi smiled, grey eyes flashing with happiness and it was not long before a teasing smile played on her lips. Grey eyes twinkled in mischief and his sister leaned closer to her friend. "The two of them are _very close friends_."

Violet eyes widened and Shouto felt his left side heating up as both of his cheeks burned up. There was nothing wrong with what his sister just said, Naruto and him were friends. She was probably one of his dearest and closest friends, but the way his sister talked implied something more. His sister snickered while Tomoyo doesn't see the same amusement, instead her lips curled into a small frown.

Her eyes flashed with pity.

"So has Naruto decided who she wanted to intern with?" Fuyumi asked, tilting her head at him.

Shouto frowned and slanted his head, not understanding the sudden curiosity from his sister nor why her friend seemed to perk up at the question. "No, she seems to be uncertain. I think she doesn't want to make a mistake when it comes to her mentor and wants to take her time with it. "

Fuyumi hummed and nodded, flickering her eyes to Tomoyo. "Did Eisuke-kun make any offers this time around?"

"Eisuke-kun?" Shouto knitted his eyebrows and his sister nodded, fingers tapping together as a fond smile plays on her lips. Tomoyo drank her tea, violet eyes focused on the wall and her lips seemed to be pressed into a thin line like she suddenly found the tea to not be to her liking.

"You will know my reckless, idiotic cousin as Uzushiokage," Her tone leaked with irritation as the woman gripped the tea cup like she wanted to strangle it. "And from what he told me and my father during lunch, he wanted to take the girl in because of her talent."

Fuyumi frowned. "What did Eisuke-kun do this time? You only call him an idiot when he messes up or if he got himself injured again."

Tomoyo kept quiet, shoulders hunched together and his sister leaned closer to the woman. Her hand hovered above the trembling woman and Fuyumi leaned her head closer to her best friend, whispering so quietly that only someone with enhanced hearing could hear them. The woman kept shaking her head, not caring to let his sister try and help her with her problem with her cousin.

"I'm home!" His brother's voice boomed throughout the house and it was not long before his brother walked into the living room. There was a bounce in his step and a small hum echoed throughout the living room, causing Shouto and Fuyumi to raise their eyebrows at him. The smile faded when his brother spotted the sight of the gray-haired woman and his sister sitting side by side in the couch.

Natsuo knitted his eyebrows. "What are you doing here, Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo plastered a smile and pulled Fuyumi close to her, violet eyes shone with the barest hints of concern. "Spending time with my best-friend, of course Natsuo-kun."

"Really? Didn't you refuse to come back into this house after that shitty man blamed your mother for not being able to fix Shouto's face and made a comment about how useful your Quirk was?" Fuyumi stiffened and his brother tilted his head at them. The gray-haired woman grinded her teeth but did not deny the comment and his brother frowned. "Why now?"

Pale hands hugged his sister and violet eyes fixated at Natsuo. "Things changed and I realized that my friendship is more important than any petty feelings that I have towards Endeavour. If I want to hang out with Fuyumi-chan then I need to spend more time in this house."

Shouto frowned, mismatch eyes not missing the way that the young woman gulped down a lump nor how her eyes seemed to be fixated around the room. It was like she was hiding a secret from his sister. No, it was more like she seemed to be weary as if worried that someone might come in here.

No one would ever dare attack the home of the Number Two Hero.

* * *

"I thought I would find you here."

Dark blue eyes did not look up as his broker took a seat right beside him, cigarette in one hand and gray eyes looking down the mountains that loomed over the city. The fresh air should clear his mind and the valley of rocks almost reminded him of his birthplace, only the rocks were mountains and the buildings down the mountain were made of metal.

He gulped down his whisky, throat burning like there was no tomorrow but Isamu liked it like that. It numbed the memory, killing helped too but there was no job to do and his roommate would throw a hissy fit if he came back dirtying their shared apartment.

"Why did you come here, Giran? You better have a job for me to do if you are coming here on the only day off." His broker only twitched when the man pulled out a kunai, his fingers juggling it around like he had done it a thousand times. He grabbed the hilt of the kunai and tilted his head upwards. His other hand plays with the locket, fingers tracing the initials and a sadistic smile plays on his lips. "I'm not in the mood to talk."

"I thought there would be a group that you might be interested to join," Giran commented lightly, taking a seat beside him. "With the amount of people that you have murdered, both in the field and out, I thought you might fit in with them."

Isamu tilted his head, held his hand out and the older male pulled out a cigarette from his packet and handed it to the young man. His fingers reached down his jeans and pulled out a lighter, lighting up the cigarette. The clove taste lingered on his tongue as his head buzzed and the tension in his body seemed to fade. "I don't work with people and you know it."

"In all the years that I have known you, not once have I ever pushed you nor question you about why you decided to become a villain," Giran lit his own cigarette and locked eyes on him. "Have I ever been wrong about which people would benefit you? Or the information I gave you?"

Isamu pressed his lips into a thin line and leaned his body forward, dark blue eyes fixated on the city lights that seemed to almost mock him. "I will listen to what you have to say but if it bores me or serves me no real purpose then I will snip that tongue you seemed to love so much."

"Before I talk about this group, mind telling me how you ended up becoming a villain?" Isamu raised his eyebrow and Giran took his cigarette out of his mouth. "Most of my cilents have been rejected by society in some way or form, yet your Quirk is the same as that hero Uzushiokage and yet you became a villain."

"What is the difference between heroes? And villains? It is just a bunch of titles that the government slapped on people," the broker raised an eyebrow and the brown-haired man leaned his body forward, eyes closed as he breathed out the smoke. "If you break the rules then you are either a villain or vilgante. Follow the rules then you are a hero. In the end of the day, there is no difference."

"You are avoiding my question, I need some information to sell you to my employer."

_Your mother was killed in the line of duty._ The blunt words of his mother's teammate echoed in his ear along with the faint laughter of his mother. Killed was the word that the messenger used, not brutally murdered by the Yellow Flash. His fingers traced the locket again, nose almost sniffing the scent as if hoping his mother's scent still lingered.

"Killing is all I have ever known," he dropped the locket and resumed twirling his kunai. "I have been doing the beautiful art of murder since I was seven. I have killed so many people that the faces are just blurred out and the numbers just seemed pointless."

Giran raised his eyebrow.

"I was probably around 14 when I came to this country," Isamu inhaled. "I thought I could do that normal shit like high school but, I didn't fit in. I ended up dropping out of school 'cause I didn't give a shit about calculus or that chemistry shit. I screwed with the wrong people, got kicked out of my job and just started doing this shit again. I am good with this shit and I like this shit."

The man shrugged, lips curled into a smile as the many bodies flashed before his eyes. Konoha nin, Suna nin and even the Kumo nin, well he killed them all. Each time their blood seeped into the ground, Isamu thinks his mother must be resting better.

"I believe that this group of people would really be beneficial for you," Giran commented. His lips curled into almost a smile, the same kind of greedy smile that he always gets whenever Isamu gave 30% of his commission to him. "What do you know about the League of Villains?"

Isamu leaned his body forward, put his chin on top of his knee. "Never heard of them."

"Would it be of an interest to you if I tell you that they were the group that broke into Yuuei High?" The brown-haired man stilled and gazed at his broker with interest. Determined blue eyes flashed before his eyes and then the words _the Yellow Flash killed more than 1000 of our shinobi in just one night._ He grinded his teeth together, rapid breaths coming out of his mouth.

_It was the Yellow Flash that killed your mother._

Those blue eyes and blond hair flashed before his eyes and the desire to slash everything in front of him was enough for him to grind his teeth. Not even the earthy scent of the soil nor the gentle stream was enough to help him calm down from the ever consuming rage that clouded his mind.

_Did you hear? The Yellow Flash got himself killed defeating that Kyuubi._

Red eyes and that arrogant smile playing on his lips during the Sports Festival also flashed before his mind. That bastard must have been smirking too when he murdered his mother.

"You don't have to try and convince me to join," Giran blinked and Isamu crumbled his cigarette, not even wincing at the burnt sensation from his cigarette. "Sign me up but I have only one condition about joining this group: _I get to kill the children of my mother's killer._"

Namikaze Minato might be a corpse in the ground but his legacies still lived on and Isamu planned to destroy them for what their father did to his mother.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Please continue on with telling me on who you think that Naruto should intern with and also tell me what you think about the interactions between the characters.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

Uzumaki Kushina was always considered too emotional for the members of her clan.

She wasn't a crybaby. She knew that much. Especially since she would beat up any of her cousins whenever they would try and taunt her for not being quick enough in her seals. How could she be considered emotional if she fights instead of going back to her parents to cry about her wounded pride? But right now at the age of six, Kushina felt as much of a crybaby as her clans member claimed her to be.

The rain smashed the ground, draining Kushina as her own eyes took in the grave of her parents. _Died on the line of duty._ That had been what her grandfather told her when she practised her seals with Akira-obaachan. Akira-obaachan was her grandfather's youngest sister, a woman that could even terrify Kenji and the other men. _Your grandfather might hold the hat but it is Akira that keeps everyone in check._ That had been her mother's words whenever Kushina told her about her day with her great-aunt.

_Be good to Akira-obachan, Kushina-chan._

Tears burned through Kushina's eyes and she sniffed as she recalled her parents' last words to her. _I won't ever hear them say I love you ever again._ The tears began to build up around her eyes. She rubbed her eyes furiously, trying and failing to stop the incoming tears that seemed ready to be released for her whole clan to see.

Violet eyes widened when a single arm hugged her and her throat burned when Kenji-niisan rubbed her shoulders up and down, not saying a single word to comfort her. Only discomfort shone through his hazel eyes. _I wish Gramps will comfort me too. He isn't even upset that he lost a son._ Her grandfather just stood there, looking just as high and mighty as ever.

There was not a single tear coming out of his eye and Kushina despised him for it. He sent her parents for a mission, so it was only fair that he mourned them. Her Daddy was his son and unlike her, he seemed to not even be shedding a single tear as the men and women of their clan gathered around to pray for their souls.

"_It's okay Kushina, you still have me, Asa and Ren-niisan."_ Her cousin looked down at the grave and his hazel eyes teared up slightly. He inhaled and exhaled. "_We will take care of you in your parents' place. Ren-niisan is a pain in the neck with his constant scolding but we can make things work."_

Kushina hunched her shoulders. "_I don't want you or even that stupid Asa. I wanna have my parents again!"_

Kenji took a step back and slumped his shoulders, looking almost put off by her behaviour. He darted his eyes everywhere until his eyes met the slight wrinkly face of their grandfather's sister. The elder woman had her eyes fixated on Kushina and then darted to the Uzushiokage, who straightened his back and began his speech about remembering and honouring the dead.

"_My son and his wife gave their lives…"_

Her grandfather kept his voice calm and monotone, not showing any emotion as he described the life that her parents lived. Kushina sniffed and rubbed her eyes even more, throat burning as the memories of her own parents flashed before her eyes. From the bright smile of her mother to the constant jokes that her father would make to them.

She would never hear his jokes again or see him try and prank her grandfather.

'_Daddy, why do you still play pranks on Gramps?'_

She locked eyes on the grave of her father as his violet eyes flashed before her, twinkling and shining with humour as he would pick her up and put her in his shoulder. It had been one of the last questions that Kushina had ever ask her Daddy before he and Mummy went on their mission.

"_Oh? So your Gramps can forget his loss and pain through laugher. I think Gramps has forgotten that before he is the Uzushiokage, he is still an old man."_

Kushina blinked and stiffened as the various members of her clan walked up to her. Their heads bowed down as they offered their condolences to her, occasionally someone would give her a hug and tell her that her parents had been wonderful shinobi. They act like she doesn't know it, but she knew them. She was the proud daughter of two wonderful, powerful shinobi.

Their deaths had been honourable.

"_My nephew and his wife were strong shinobi,"_ Kushina stiffened when her grandfather's sister walked up towards her. The elder woman knelt down and looked her straight in the eyes. "_But no one can deny they had been wonderful parents to you. The whole clan is grieving, Kushina-chan…my brother grieves in his own way."_

Kushina sniffed and shook her head. "_He isn't even crying for them! Daddy always tried so hard to make him laugh! He doesn't even care that they are gone!"_

The elder woman darted her eyes to her brother, lips pressed into a thin line as the elderly man locked eyes on the two of them. Kushina held her head up high and scowled at her grandfather, who looked away from her. Akira shook her head, lips curled into an annoyed scowl.

"_Before my brother is a father, he is the Uzushiokage. He is the leader of this village,"_ the elderly woman explained. Her tone held hints of annoyance and the red-haired girl turned her whole body away from them. "_No father wants to live longer than their own child and my brother grieves in his own way, but his duty as the leader of this village means that he can't allow emotions to control him."_

Kushina slumped her shoulder and looks at the grave of her father and mother. _But no one will judge him for just this moment of weakness?_ She doesn't understand how crying for her beloved parents would not be enough for him to break out of that stone-cold façade that he put around the villagers.

"_You will be living with me from now on, Kushina-chan."_ Kushina blinked and swirled her head at the woman. The elderly woman locked eyes on their grave. "_With how busy my brother is, I think it will be better if I take on the role of your guardian."_

She doesn't want Akira to raise her or even her grandfather. She just wanted her parents back, to give her a hug and tell her that this was all a bad nightmare that her mind conjures. Kushina clenched and unclenched her hands, hoping that if maybe she did it enough times then she would wake up from this nightmare.

Kushina slumped her shoulder and grinded her teeth. "_Why did they have to leave me alone in this world?"_

"_Such a foolish child,"_ Kushina blinked and Akira knelt down again. Her own violet eyes met her and there was a slight twinkle of mischief along with understanding. The woman wrapped her arms around her, giving her a hug that almost reminded Kushina of her own mother. "_You aren't alone, Kushina. You might think you are alone, but you have the whole clan to help you through your grief. Real loneliness is when you have no one to share with your grief."_

Kushina stared at the elder woman and the woman looked up to the dark storm clouds. "_Even the gods know of your grief and they share it with you, but my nephew would never want to see you sad. You are the apple of his eye and even though your grandfather never says it, you are his favourite grandchild from his favourite son."_

Violet eyes widened at the declaration.

"_If you want to honour their memory then Kushina, would you play a prank on your grandfather?"_ Akira smiled and looked towards her brother, who seemed fixated on the gravestone on his children. "_In honour of your father, could you fill this clan with laughter again as your father would have done? We will grieve in private but never let your father's memory and legacy die. Tomorrow, you will straightened that upper lip and you will go back to your training."_

Even when her grandfather told her to go and take care of his dying older sister, Kushina continued on the legacy of her father. A part of her would never understand how cold her grandfather could be until he came to Konoha to visit her, hugging her and apologizing to her for putting her through this.

When Kushina dies, she wonders if Akira-obaachan and her grandfather accepted her marriage to Minato or if they would love Naruto, despite the fact that she was not a full-blooded Uzumaki. She hopes and prays that her daughter would carry on the legacy of her grandfather despite being made into a jinchuuriki.

* * *

_I knew I should have been quicker with changing out of my outfit._

She removed her scrunchie from her hair, swearing and cursing as she jumped over an ice-cream cart. The owner swore at her but the blonde did not stop to apologize. She could not be late for work because even though her boss took it easy on her, Naruto could only imagine how much money that she might just lose. Just the mere thought made her want to cry.

Her body crashed into something hard and a curse almost slipped out of her mouth as Naruto rubbed the back of her neck, wincing at the stringing pain. Blue eyes met violet eyes and the blonde blinked at the sight of an elderly woman with maroon hair staring back at her. _She looks like she can be even older than the Third Hokage and Ero-Sennin combined._

Naruto shook her head and scrambled to get herself back up onto her feet. She twisted her body around, only to pause and twisted her body around to see the woman rubbing her head and back. The blue-eyed girl flickered her eyes to her watch, took a deep breath and jogged towards the elderly woman. She knelt down slightly, offering her a smile and held her hand out to the woman.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered. The woman looked at her, violet eyes seemed fixated on her eyes and then it swept down to the whisker marks that decorated her cheeks before focusing on her chin. Silence hung between them until the woman took Naruto's hands, allowing the blonde to help her up. _Why does she have chakra?_ There seemed to be a humming sensation coming from the woman, tickling her senses.

Naruto stiffened and stared at the elderly woman, who still had not let go of her hand. _Was she a shinobi?_ The thought was laughable because the woman was old, probably reaching her early 90s. No way a woman like that could be a shinobi. Maybe it was a Quirk. There were so many wonderful Quirks that this would make sense.

"You are the girl that won the Sports Festival, aren't you?" Naruto blinked and bobbed her head, blue eyes flickering everywhere and body tensing as the woman continued to regard her. The woman offered her a smile but her eyes seemed to close slightly as if she was scheming something. "They don't do justice to your looks."

Blue eyes widened as the elderly woman picked up her cane. The woman winced slightly and Naruto darted her eyes to the woman's legs, noticing the way how her legs seemed to be steady. _Why is she acting?_ She forced herself to smile at the elderly woman, who seemed to gaze at her.

"Can you help this poor, feeble woman to go to her shop?" The woman let out a sigh and stared at her with pleading eyes. _Feeble woman is a lie._ The words were on the tip of her tongue but Naruto bit her tongue from speaking out her suspicion. Instead she nodded her head, earning a smile from the elder woman as she placed her hand on top of Naruto's hand.

It seemed like she was going to lose some money.

"What's your name, child?" The woman looks up at the sky, lips curled into a curious smile as her eyes fixated on the white clouds floating without a care in the world.

Naruto eyed the woman as they walked through the streets that seemed to be near her workplace. "Uzumaki Naruto."

The old woman bobbed her head, lips curled into a thin line and looked at Naruto. Violet eyes seemed to almost softened and her eyes lingered on the long, flowing blond hair that Naruto longed to now tied up. _Maybe I should cut it._ It would make life easier for her when she trained and it was not like she took very good care of her hair.

"What's your name?" _Granny_ was on the tip of her tongue but the word felt wrong to Naruto. Granny belonged to someone else, a person that she does not remember but knew in mind and soul that she had been a person important her. Old Hag was reserved for Tsunade so Naruto guess, she would leave the woman without any nicknames.

"Akira," the woman darted her eyes to her fellow pedestrian and then fixated her eyes on her. "How old are you, Naruto?"

Naruto raised her eyebrow and forced herself to plaster a smile to the old woman. "Fifteen."

"Oh? You are the same age as my great-grandson," Akira hummed and stretched a single arm. A small smile played on her lips and laugh line visualized around the woman's wrinkly face. "But my great-grandson doesn't have a desire to be a hero like you, he seems more interested in making inventions and getting himself into trouble with his school."

_Inventions?_ She blinked and a pink-haired girl appeared before her eyes, demanding if she could use her clones for her test runs with her babies. Naruto probably should send a clone to check up on Hatsume and to help the girl with whatever crazy schemes she had going through her brain.

"Your parents must be proud that you won the Sports Festival."

_Face it Naruto, they __**never**__ loved you._

She clenched her jaw and chose not to answer, allowing the elderly woman to believe that she had parents. _They __**never**__ loved you._ How could she be even certain if her parents would have been proud? She doesn't even know what they looked like or what their names were. _They were shinobi._ That stunt in the hospital helped remind her of her stupidity of why she wanted to become a kunoichi.

She wanted the recognition of people that have longed passed and to make them proud like it was her duty as a good daughter.

_Why do I want to become a Hero?_ The question would always linger on her mind and even now when she looked at the elder woman, who gazed at her with unreadable eyes. Naruto gazed at the blue skies, wishing that there was a sign of what caused her to pursuit this path. Did she really want to be a Hero? Or was she doing this because it was the only thing she thinks she was good at? She wasn't certain anymore.

"I wouldn't know if they were proud," Naruto admitted. She turned to the elder woman and gazed at the woman's violet eyes that seemed to stare at her with understanding and sadness. Her head throbbed as a hazy memory played before her. Violet eyes tearing up, blood dripping out of her mouth as she cradled her close to her body. Someone telling her—

"_Don't be picky about your food, Naru-chan."_

Whose voice was that?

"_Don't stay up late at night, you will need your sleep."_

Tears leaked out of her eyes and her throat seemed to clog up as Naruto stumbled, not understanding where these voices and memories were coming from. All of the air inside of her seemed to be knock out and the blond-haired girl clutched her head, struggling to make sense of what was happening.

"_Make friends._"

All those things echoing in her ear were things that Naruto presumed her mother would tell her.

"_Naru-chan, you will face a lot of pain and suffering in your life even though you have Keisuke-obaachan to help you."_ Naruto's hands wobbled as the elderly woman grabbed hold of her, steadying the blond-haired girl as the voice got louder and louder in her ear. "_Believe in yourself and believe that your dreams will come true."_

She wanted the voice to stop.

"_I love you, Naru-chan."_

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Naruto gulped and stared at the violet eyes of the woman, body trembling as her mind came crashing down to reality. For a brief moment, she thought the hazy memory was real but it could never be real. Her parents died on her birthday. She doesn't even know what her parents looked like, so how could she have a memory like that.

It was only wistful thinking that her parents loved her.

"Yes." She clipped the answer and darted her eyes to her surrounding as her hand hovered around her face. Maybe she should try and request for an earlier appointment with her therapist because Naruto doubt what just happened was normal. What just happened must be a sign that her sanity was going away and that she might be crumbling again.

She forced herself to smile at the woman and violet eyes seemed to widened slightly, lips parting as if she saw a ghost in Naruto. The woman cleared her throat, curled her lips into a smile and hummed. "I think my nephew and you would have gotten along, he also had a habit of smiling instead of crying whenever he faced grief. That trait didn't go to his daughter, the brat was always so free with her emotions."

"Akira?"

"Smiling is a good remedy for grief and to be honest I will take smiling over someone that gets depressed too quickly like my brother-in-law did," Naruto blinked and Akira stared at her with hard eyes. "But from one woman to the next, make sure that you wear the smile and not the other way around…do not pretend with your friends that you are fine, Naruto."

Naruto gazed at the woman, lips tucked into a small frown. "Why are you—"

"Who knows? Maybe because you remind me of my nephew and his beloved daughter," the woman shrugged. "That is perhaps the only reason I will give a stranger some advice or perhaps I'm becoming senile and sentimental in my old age."

Blue eyes watched as the elder woman hummed a small tune, body straightened and her head held up high as the people around them parted to give the woman some space. The woman paused, twisted her body around and violet eyes regarded her, fixating on her face.

"_You really did end up going through with it, didn't you Kushina?"_ The words were faint, just a whisper in the wind and Naruto doubt that she was supposed to hear those words. The woman bowed slightly, gave a small wave and hummed a merry tune as she turned to a small shop in the edge of the street.

Naruto just stared and then looked at her phone, groaning as she realized that she was going to be five minutes late to work.

_I'm never spending this long talking to weirdos ever again._

* * *

_Finally, I have got a break._

The chatter and laughter of the café bounced in the staffroom as Naruto took off her frilly apron. Outside her co-workers seemed to be glancing at her, their eyes shining with mischief and curiosity, as the girl opened her schoolbag to take out the envelope containing her list of offered internships. Amejiki-senpai really was the best for going along with Togata's suggestion.

She hummed and removed the pesky scrunchie from her hair, slipping it into her pocket before slidding the door to the side. Her fellow waiters and waitresses turned around, eyebrows raised at her and Naruto shrugged, not caring one bit about what they think. Blue eyes darted throughout the small café, finally landing on Amejiki and she scrunched her eyebrows together at the way her senior seemed to be tugging his shirt.

"I think this is the first time that I have seen Amejiki-san without his friends," a waitress commented to her co-worker as Naruto brushed hoped over the counter.

"Maybe he has gotten the courage to confess?" The waitress glanced at each other and their eyes followed Naruto, their eyes twinkling with curiosity and neither of them noticed that their boss stood behind them. The young woman shook her head and smacked the two of them in the back of their head, barking at them to go back to work.

"Sorry for being late, Amejiki-senpai!" Amejiki blinked and offered Naruto a nervous smile, indigo eyes darting everywhere as his hand seemed to be tugging the collar of his school uniform. The blonde slid into the opposite side of the table, her hands clutching the envelope like a lifeline, and flashed him a smile.

"I-I wasn't waiting for long." Amejiki gulped and looked everywhere, shoulders hunching and cheeks burning red as the waiters and waitress just locked eyes on the two teens. He tore his eyes away from them and slouched, looking almost like he would be anywhere but here with her. Naruto frowned, rubbing the back of her own neck as she reminded herself that Togata-senpai offered Amejiki's assistance to her.

The blonde forced herself to smile. "I'm really sorry for having Togata-senpai roping you into this but please help me with choosing a suitable internship."

He frowned, lips pressed into a thin line as his eyes fixated on her. His lips parted slightly as if he was going to say something to her but then he slouched and furiously shook his head. A breath was inhaled and Amejiki gulped down a lump. "I-I am really happy to help, Uzumaki-san—"

"Uzumaki," Naruto corrected him and the boy blinked, eyebrows shooting to his hairline. The blonde flashed him a smile. "I don't actually like that polite stuff. So you can call me Uzumaki."

She doesn't offer to let him use her first name because sometimes when Amejiki-senpai talked, she identified the bastard and she could not focus if her brother-figure flashed before her eyes. Naruto hunched her shoulder and shook her head, blond hair slapping the person behind her while Amejiki stared at her with a small frown.

"U-Uzumaki," the boy cleared his throat and the blond-haired girl looked up. Blue eyes widened when the older teen leaned his body forward slightly, hands clasping together as his indigo eyes bored into hers. "Can I see your list? I-I c-can't help you if you don't show it to me."

"Oh? Yeah, of course!" She slid the envelope to him, fingers trembling as the older boy took the envelop. His eyebrows shot to his hairline and a small frown played on his lips as the boy tore opened the envelope. He pulled out the list, laid it on the table and hunched his shoulders at the list.

"You have got a huge list," Amejiki muttered under his breath. "I can understand why you have a hard time picking with so many offers."

Her eyebrows knitted together as her lips curled into a tiny confused smile. Why did it sound like he admire the offers that she had? If it had been Sasuke, he would make a roundabout way of saying that it was a miracle so many people had chosen her. She nibbled her bottom lip, nails scratching her head as the older teen pulled out a pencil case from his bag.

"Amejiki-senpai, how did you break down your list?"

Amejiki looked away from his pencilcase, cheeks growing red as Naruto leaned forward to look at him. Her eyebrows knitted together and Naruto placed her hand on top of his forehead. White teeth peeked out, nibbling Naruto's bottom lip as the girl tilted her head to the side, not understanding why her senior seemed so red.

"I ruled out all the heroes that I didn't like," Amejiki squeaked, leaning his body away and turning his head away from her. He tugged his collar. "And I got rid of all the heroes that didn't fit my personality at all or my quirk."

Naruto bobbed her head, lips curled into a thoughtful smile and looked down at the various people in the list. So if she would go with that ruling then her list was still going to be large. The only hero she disliked was Endeavour and the man did not put an offer to her, only giving one to Todoroki. She pressed her lips into a thin line, realizing that she probably need to look into the heroes' personality and their quirks to narrow it down.

"How did you know that they didn't fit with you? Did you have a shortcut?" She clasped her hands together and almost prayed that Amejiki might have a shortcut which did not require her to read.

Amejiki quirked his lips into smile and shook his head. "Do your research, Uzumaki…there is no shortcuts in life."

She slumped her shoulders, moisture leaking out of her eyes because the thought of reading so many articles made her want to cry. The indigo-haired boy frowned, hand hovering above her shoulder and then he dropped it on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. His lips trembled into a small smile. "I'm here to help, Uzumaki."

"If you were me, who would you go with?" Amejiki tilted his head and fingered the list of offered internships, eyes fixated on the various people. He hummed and bobbed his head before darting his eyes at her, body slouching even more as if a dark cloud hang over him.

"I can't choose for you," he picked up a pencil. "But I will ask you questions and it will narrow down your options…will that work with you?"

She beamed and nodded her head vigorously, looking like a happy puppy and Amejiki gulped, cheeks growing an even furious shade of red. He tugged his collar again, his eyes avoiding her own as the various waiters and waitresses watched them. His hand grabbed the list, holding it up to his face and Naruto frowned, raising her eyebrows at him.

He ignored her silent question.

"Do you mind working with someone that isn't in the top 30?" Naruto tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows, lips pressed into a very thin line. Not in the top 30? If she did become a hero then shouldn't she aim for the top spot? Beside wouldn't the people in the top 30 have more work to do and more experience to offer her, allowing her to have a better understanding of what it meant to be a hero.

"Yes." Amejiki nodded and tore out more than 10 pages off from her book of offered list, leaving her only three pages of names to consider. The name Hawks, Edgeshot, Miruko and even the Uzushiokage were on the first page of lists along with other names that did not grab her attention.

"Do you want to only work with female heroes?" Naruto wrinkled her nose and Amejiki blinked, lips curled almost into a tiny smile as the blonde tilted her head. She scrunched her eyebrows together, lines forming around her forehead until finally the blonde shook her head at him.

"I don't actually care about gender," Naruto looks up at the ceiling. "Anyone that can give me the experience that I deserve is welcomed."

Her senior nodded. "Do you care if they are loud?"

"Nope."

"Do you want to work with someone with a flashy Quirk?"

Naruto shook her head and Amejiki relaxed his shoulders, placing the list down for her to see. He cancelled out a couple of the heroes, narrowing the list from 30 to now 20 people. Most of them seemed to still be in the top 10 with Hawks still not being cancelled out. Her head tilted to the side, blue eyes fixated on the hero that seemed to still be on the top of the list.

Amejiki cleared his throat and blue eyes looked up at him, flashing with curiosity and the older boy faltered. Amejiki rubbed the back of his neck, licked his dried lips and cleared his throat. "Do you want to work with a hero that does more rescue operations or heroes that are more likely to do battle operations?"

She knitted her eyebrows and stared down at her hands, white teeth nibbling her bottom lip as a memory flashed before her. _I couldn't do it, Naruto! I couldn't stop him! You are the only one that can save him._ Green eyes filled with tears loomed over her along with the smiling face of Sasuke, not the Sasuke of team seven, but the boy that had been her brother.

There was still a lot for her to learn about rescuing people.

"Rescue operations are something that I want to do more," Amejiki blinked and crossed out a couple of heroes for her. She looked at her senior, blue eyes fading away slightly as her childhood laughter echoed in her ear alongside black eyes that shone with so much love when it came towards her. _She must be disappointed in Sasuke and me._

"And your Quirk? What is your Quirk?"

Naruto stilled and straightened her back. "It allows me to manipulate my energy."

Amejiki nodded and cancelled out a couple of heroes before handing her back a list filled with just ten people that her senior believed seemed to fit her. Her lips parted as her blue eyes tried to absorb the fact that the boy managed to cut down a whole book worth of people into just one single page. _I guess this is why he is a senior, he has to have experience._ She nibbled her bottom lip and stared at her senior.

"Amejiki-senpai, how can I find out if these people might have a similar background to me?"

Her senior knitted his eyebrows. "Well you can go to the internet and read the forum as well as any of their autobiography websites. They will always have some story to tell about them."

She bobbed her head and stared at her senior, who now turned his head away from her. Blue eyes softened slightly as pale milky eyes flashed before her alongside black eyes that used to shine with happiness whenever they played together. She gulped down a lump and offered him a smile.

"Thank you Amejiki-senpai for helping me…I guess you really aren't that weird."

Amejiki only slumped his shoulders.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter especially with the interactions between the characters.**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

_Is she overworking herself again?_

Shouto curled his lips into a small frown, mismatch eyes focused on his seatmate and friend as a small yawn escaped from her lips. Uzumaki stretched her arms, her white shirt rising up slightly giving just the tiniest glimpse of her skin, and another yawn escaped from her lips.

Blue eyes met his and Shouto's eyes wandered straight to her arms that seemed to be littered with small scratches. Tiny scratches that should not be of any concern but everything started with small scratches. It probably would not be long before her whole body would be decorated with black and purple bruises.

His stomach turned at the thought.

"Are you okay, Uzumaki?" Blue eyes widened at his question and wavered slightly as her hand rubbed the back of her neck. Uzumaki inhaled deeply and nodded, flashing him a smile that Shouto knew all too well was her fake smile. When Uzumaki really smiled, it could make it seem like the sun was shining straight at her. She nodded and Shouto grabbed her arm.

She blinked and he pointed to her scratches. "Uzumaki, I wasn't born yesterday. If you are having any problems at home then you can talk to me."

Naruto flickered her eyes from his to her arm and her cheeks began to warm up slightly, growing to a pretty shade of red that reminded Shouto of a tomato. He knitted his eyebrows, tilted his head and stared at her arm, where his fingers were still wrapped around it. He blinked for a couple of seconds before dropping her hand, head turning away as he felt both cheeks burning up.

He doesn't understand why his face heated up from one innocent gesture.

"I was training until a few hours ago," Naruto said softly, bowing her head down. "My new mentor just decided to whack me if I was messing up."

Shouto stiffened and curled his lips into a frown, mismatch eyes locked onto her bright blue eyes. Blue eyes shone with reassurance as if trying to tell him that being whacked was not such a big deal for her. It was normal with training, Shouto knew it from his own experience but it still was not right.

He cleared his throat. "Violence shouldn't be the answer when it comes to training."

Naruto gazed at him, blue eyes softening, and she lowered her voice. "Did he hurt you if you mess up?"

The memory of his father looming over him, turquoise eyes flaring with annoyance. The booming voice of his father, an ache in his heart, and a large hand smacking his face because Shouto just didn't want to use his left side. His eldest brother charging in, turquoise eyes flaring with fury and Touya shouted at his father to remember that Shouto was just five.

Shouto gulped down a lump and looked down at his own hands. "He got furious whenever I mess up or if I complain about training."

"Todoroki," Uzumaki's voice softened and she placed her scratched hands on top of his shoulder. "I know it isn't right. Can I be honest? I have never been beaten up whenever I mess up in my training but my best-friend has. Her father would always get so irritated that she would hesitate in her own martial arts training."

Shouto stared at her own hands. "Then you understand why I am concerned."

Blue eyes softened and Shouto blinked at the smile playing on Uzumaki's face. His stomach rolled and his heart fluttered slightly as it always did whenever Uzumaki looked at him like this. He doesn't understand why nor does he wish for this feeling to go away. It was a nice feeling.

"Thank you for being worried," Uzumaki cleared her throat and locks eyes on him. "But this guy has to hit me or else the backlash of this part of my Quirk might have grave consequence to me. He just does it so that I'm fine."

Shouto sighed and nodded, mismatch eyes flickering to her hands that seemed to still linger on his shoulders. Uzumaki followed his eyes and blinked before withdrawing her hands quickly from his shoulders, blond-hair flying everywhere. Her cheeks burned brightly and she quickly sat back down at her seat.

He stared at her, lips curled into a small smile as the blonde hung her head and muttered words that were too soft for his ears to pick up on. She took several deep breaths, turned to him and Todoroki blinked at the sight of the happiness and the brightness of her blue eyes.

_I want to see her like this._

Shouto blinked at his thoughts and knitted his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side.

Another small yawn escaped from Naruto's lips and the blonde rubbed her eyes, body slouching and looking almost ready to drop. Shouto frowned and looked at the clock that told him they had another half an hour before Aizawa-sensei would come in to start the homeroom class.

"If you want Uzumaki, you can sleep now and I will wake you up when Aizawa-sensei comes in."

Uzumaki flashed him a bright smile and Shouto could only stare at her smile. He had seen Uzumaki when she was sad, when she was angered and even happy but if he had to put which expression he wished to see on her face then it would be happiness. When Uzumaki smiled at him like that then it really did feel like sunshine had come to the classroom.

He turned his head away as Uzumaki placed her head on the table, cheeks resting on the top of her hands. Shouto gave a slight smile and watched the doors as his fingers pulled out a copy of the book that Uzumaki seemed to have read a thousand times. _The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja._ It might not be a best-seller but Shouto could see why Uzumaki loved it so much.

Minutes passed and it was not long before their classmates walked through the doors, their eyes widening whenever they caught sight of Uzumaki sleeping on her desk. Her light snores and mumbles was just loud enough for Shouto to put down the book and eye her, lips twitching whenever Uzumaki let out a small curse or demanded for some ramen.

The door slid opened again and Midoriya stepped in, lips curled into a smile as he chatted to Iida and Uraraka about the homework that Present Mic handed them. The chatter died down and the green-haired boy darted his eyes to Uzumaki, eyebrows knitted together and his lips parted slightly.

Shouto tilted his head as Midoriya excused himself and buzzed straight towards them. His green eyes seemed fixated on the sleeping blonde, who now had drool leaking out of the side of her lips. _It looks cute._ He shook his head at the thought and stared at his friend.

"Did something happen with Uzumaki-san?" Midoriya stood right beside him and knitted his eyebrows together, lips pressed into a thin line. Uraraka hovered beside Midoriya while Iida does not say a word, not even to try and scold the girl for sleeping in the classroom.

Shouto nodded. "Her Guardian pushed her to her limits when it came to her training."

Midoriya curled his lips into a frown and stared at the sleeping blond-haired girl. He rubbed the back of his neck, body shuddering as if recalling something terrible and Shouto tilted his head while Uraraka frowned at him. "Jiraiya-san must have made her training even more intense than usual."

"What do you mean, Deku-kun?" Uraraka asked.

The green-haired boy shuddered and stared at Uzumaki. "When I trained with Jiraiya-san, my whole body ached and screamed from the hell that he put me through. He is amazing really and his punches are just only slightly weaker than Naruto's punches. But Uzumaki can endure punches and his hellish training, so this must have been even worse."

Shouto pressed his lips into a frown and knitted his eyebrows. Hellish training? Part time job? And school? It might be a good idea for Uzumaki to go to the nurse office during lunch so she could get some sleep. He curled his lips into a tiny frown and bobbed his head.

A small yawn escaped out of Uzumaki's lips and blond eyelashes fluttered, blue eyes peeking out and the blond-haired girl jerked her head up. Shouto snorted at the sight of the drool leaking out of her lips and Uzumaki jerked her head at him, eyebrows rising up in the forehead. He pointed to the corner of her lips and the girl immediately rubbed her mouth.

She blinked at the sight of Midoriya. "Morning."

"Morning Uzumaki-san," Midoriya eyed the scratches on her body and offered her a tiny smile. "Jiraiya-san went the extra mile with your training again."

Naruto nodded and muttered. "I wish it was just him."

The blond-haired teen rubbed the back of her neck, scratching her head and stared at Midoriya. Blue eyes faded out as if she recalled something and Todoroki blinked when the girl snapped her fingers as if an idea suddenly dawned upon her. Several eyes widened when Uzumaki jumped out of her seat, grabbing Midoriya's hands and blue eyes sparkled with hope.

"Midoriya, can I ask a tiny request from you?" Midoriya blinked and flushed red at the closeness between them and Uzumaki smiled widely at him. "Can I please borrow your hero analysis notebooks?"

The green-haired boy blinked his eyes, eyebrows shooting to the top of his hairline and he squeaked. "S-Sure but why?"

Uzumaki shifted side to side as a nervous laugh escaped from her lips and the blond-haired teen rubbed the back of her neck. "Your book will probably give me a better idea on which heroes that I should intern with. Amejiki-senpai helped me cut it down to the top 10 but I'm still wavering when it comes to which hero suits me."

"Sure, you can come to my apartment to pick it up."

Uzumaki hummed and bounced with happiness and blue eyes darted towards him. "You wanna come, Todoroki? We can do our homework together."

Shouto stared at the hopeful eyes of Uzumaki and felt himself waver slightly before nodding. It was not because of the fact that Uzumaki made her eyes really big that he agreed to go with them. He just did not want to go back home and see his father or deal with Natsuo's happy mood or see Fuyumi's friend that has been checking up on his sister for the last three days.

Her eyes did nothing to him.

"You still haven't decided on a hero to intern with?" Yaoyorozu asked from next to Shouto, drawing everyone's attention towards her. She knitted her eyebrows together, tilted her head to the side and black eyes shone with curiosity at the knowledge that their most skilled classmate still was debating on which hero to with.

The blond-haired teen slumped her shoulders and nodded, looking put off at the reminder that she was still one of the few people that hadn't decided on her internship.

From in front of them, Kirishima turned his whole body around and smiled at the slumped blonde. "It must be tough when you have got so many options, Uzumaki!"

"You don't know the half of it."

* * *

Chattered filled the classroom and Tamaki could only wonder how his classmates could be so cheerful this early in the morning. A yawn escaped from his lips and the indigo-haired boy dropped his head, eyelashes dropping down as Nejire hums, a bounce in her step before taking her seat right beside him.

"Morning Tamaki," Tamaki lifts his head and waved, earning a bright smile from his friend. The girl tilted her head, eyebrows scrunching together and she nibbled her bottom lip. Her eyes seemed to waver slightly before she straightened her shoulder. She flashed him a smile and she bounced in her seat. "So how was your date with Uzumaki-chan?"

Heat rushed to his cheeks and he hung his head. "I-It wasn't a date."

Mirio's ears perked and the boy turned his whole body around. His blue eyes sparkled with curiosity, lips curled into a bright, curious smile and Tamaki rubbed the back of his neck. "I forgot about the operation. How was your date with Uzumaki-san?"

_Thank you Amejiki-senpai for helping me, I guess you really aren't that weird._

He hung his head and groaned as blue eyes sparkling with happiness flashed before his own. Was it a compliment that she changed her opinion on him? Tamaki doesn't even know. He doesn't even understand what he did to give her that impression. He ran his hand through his hair and his friends glanced at each other, eyebrows raising to their hairline.

"How was it, Tamaki?"

Tamaki slumped his shoulders and admitted. "She thanked me for helping her and that she thought I wasn't that weird…am I weird?"

Nejire patted his shoulders and he turned to look at his friend. A smile played on her lips and her eyes sparkled with mirth, looking like she found some amusement in his words. A small laugh escaped from her lips and Tamaki lifted his head, eyebrow raised. "What's so funny, Hadou-san?"

"I can understand why, Uzumaki-chan thinks that you are weird."

He frowned, hunched his shoulders and turned his head around. "C-Can you explain?"

The girl bobbed her head, twisted her seat together and her eyes fixated on him. Understanding and amusement shone through her eyes and normally he would calm down slightly but it befuddled him. What did he do wrong to make her think like this? Nejire beamed at him and hummed.

"Uzumaki probably thinks you are weird because you get even more nervous around her," he slumped his shoulders and the girl bobbed her head. "You get even more flustered around her."

He slumped his shoulders at the reminder and looked out at the window, not noticing the way Nejire shook her head at them. The sun seemed to be shining even more brightly, almost reminding him of the bright blond-hair of Uzumaki and like always the skies seemed to serve as a constant reminder to him of the girl. He guessed their relationship was better now. Uzumaki doesn't try to actively avoid him and actually talked to him.

_I'm sorry for acting like an utter and complete bitch to you._

The words from a few days ago echoed in his ear, serving him as a reminder that the blonde hadn't been the friendliest person around. He didn't understand her apology not when he guessed it was a mechanism for her to protect herself, especially from him. Sometimes Uzumaki and his friends doesn't notice it but Tamaki did see how that her eyes seemed to shine with hurt whenever she looks at him.

He doesn't have the courage to ask why.

A large hand dropped on his shoulder and Tamaki blinked when his best friend flashed him a bright smile. "It is improvement, isn't it Tamaki? She went from thinking that you were weird to thinking you weren't weird."

"She disliked me in the beginning."

Nejire hummed and shook her head. "Uzumaki-chan is funny when you think about it. I don't think she even disliked you in the very beginning…I think you remind her of someone. I always want to ask her but then something else comes up and I forget to ask her."

"You had no problem trying to tell her that I liked her whisker cheeks," Tamaki muttered under his breath. Nejire laughed and rubbed the back of her neck while Mirio let out a booming laugh that caused the whole class to look at them. His body trembled at the sight of so many eyes looking at him and the boy turned his whole body around, grateful for the fact that he sat at the last row.

"She was just so adorable!" Nejire giggled.

Mirio laughed and bobbed his head before flickering his blue eyes at him. "You know if her opinion improved after one private meeting then it might improve even more if you talk to her more often in the café, not leaving me to act as your wingman."

"W-What can I talk to her about?" Tamaki clenched and unclenched his hands. "She won't talk to even Nejire about her past and maybe she will think I'm acting even more weird if I ask her questions. I think it is just better if I give up and focus more on—"

"You shouldn't give up on Uzumaki-chan," Nejire frowned and leaned her body towards him. Her eyes fixated on him and she bobbed her head. "You went everyday after school to see her work and spent a year pinning after her. The least you can do is try and confess your feelings towards her. If you run away because you aren't confident then you will always live in doubt."

Tamaki faltered and looked out at the window, body trembling at her words. It was easier said than done about confessing his feelings to the younger girl. Every time he looks at her, all he could do was freeze and falter whenever she smiled at him. Just talking to her was hard and if he wasn't so focus with helping her, he probably wouldn't have talk like he did.

"You just need to gather up some more courage, Tamaki." Mirio smiled.

Yuyu, Nejire's friend and Mirio's seatmate, turned around and pressed her lips into a thin line. Her dark eyes fixated on him and then it darted to Nejire, who still had a bright smile playing on her lips, before returning it back to him. He shifted in his seat, eyes avoiding hers as the girl glared at him.

The girl hadn't been happy with him since he politely rejected Nejire's feelings. _It wouldn't have been fair for her if I accepted her feelings._ He cared for the girl beside him as a friend and would do anything for her because she had his back in their first internship, but Tamaki didn't love her.

She deserved to be with someone that returned her feelings.

"Amejiki-san, why do you like that first year so much?" Yuyu questioned with her arms folded against her chest. "She is cute, I will give you that much, but you don't know anything about her. Why do you still pin over her after one year?"

Silence reined throughout the classroom and several bodies turned to him, their eyes flashing with curiosity and they leaned their bodies forward. Tamaki felt sweat building around his palms and body as their eyes screamed for him to answer her question. He took a deep breath and turned his body around.

The memory of their first meeting flashed before him. Blue eyes that dulled at the sight of him and a forced smile playing on her lips as she took him and Mirio to their seat. A fake cheer in her voice alongside a bounce in her steps. The only thing that he could think was that even though the waitress wasn't happy, she still tried to smile. She still tried to be positive and he wondered how she could do it.

"Tamaki?"

He cleared his throat and looked towards the window. "Even when Uzumaki has doubts about anything, she can still smile and pretend that she is fine."

Tamaki couldn't do it and he wished that he could do what Uzumaki can do. He was a pessimist, always seeing the negative things about life and he showed it to the world. It was not a good trait for a hero but a part of him did want to change that part of himself even if he didn't want to admit it.

* * *

Killer Bee was fighting another battle when his brother ordered the attack on Uzushiokagure, but now looking at the broken remains of the second Uzushiokage's house, he could only try and come up with a rap to describe the wonders of the surprised attack. The walls of the compound were cracked and torn with the only thing that seemed to be standing was a staircase leading downstairs.

Omoi and Karui alongside Yugito could only gawk at the remains and concrete slabs that decorated the compound, alongside the corpses. Near the staircase was a corpse and with a closer inspection of the red robs alongside the name second, Killer Bee deduced that this had to be the corpse of the second Uzushiokage.

"It isn't just the remains of the Uzu nins but also our nins as well," Yugito commented as she picked up a headband. "I thought it was a surprised attack that was the combination of three villages. How can there still be so many corpses of our shinobi that seemed to outweighs theirs?"

Killer Bee walked closer to the staircase and stared at his fellow jinchuuriki. "Uzushiokagure might have been a small village but their nins were feared for a reason. Most nins are incapable of using fuuinjutsu during battle but the Uzu nins developed techniques that allowed them to use it in battle. If they even used their Hiden Techniques then this was expected."

" They relocated to Japan, didn't they?" Omoi frowned. "Fuinjutsu and Kekkei Genkei combined? That would make them more fearsome, wouldn't they?"

Bee nodded and rubbed his chin, gesturing for his three students to follow him downstairs. The scent of corpses seemed to be fading away, allowing his nose to take in the fresh salty air that Uzushiokagure was famous for. He darted his eyes to the floor, lips pressed into a very thin line at the slight scatter of sand that definitely did not belong to the compound.

"Shouldn't we be more careful about what steps to touch?" Omoi questioned him, eyes flickering nervously at the treasure and skulls that decorated the room. "What if we took one wrong step and this whole place would crumble? Who would get us out of here?"

"If there had been any booby traps then it wouldn't have been us that set it off," Killer Bee declared. Omoi opened his mouth to question him and Karui grunted, pointing to the various arrows that seemed scattered around the staircase. _They did say that the second Uzushiokage was a paranoid man._ Bee pressed his lips into a thin line, eyebrows scrunching together as he hopped off the final step.

Gold, various weapons alongside several scrolls seemed scattered around the treasure. Ancient scrolls seemed to be rolled opened and thrown carelessly around the treasure room, almost as if the person searching through them had found no use in them. Killer Bee flickered his eyes to his subordinates. "Yo, look for a map or any text that has any ancient legends."

_Would there be more than one map?_ He knew Sunagakure had their nins come here, knew it from the sand and Killer Bee heard rumors that the Kazekage to be, could use his sand like another limb. It was entirely possible that Suna decided to send him there as a way to convince the nine-tailed Jinchuuriki to come back with him or to take a couple of Kekkei Genkei with him.

_It is a race to take to take the Jinchuuriki and to take as many potential Kekkei Genkei._ The Sports Festival that Bee enjoyed so much and the ones that he rapped about turned out to be true. It meant that all those actors that he spent years rapping about and trying to imitate their moves were real. He could understand why the 9-tailed jinchuuriki decided to take a risk.

A risk that now allowed his brother to gain even more favor in the council and allowed Killer Bee more freedom to travel.

"Why is there so much sand?" Karui grumbled.

"Cuz Suna nins were here first," he informed them. His eyes followed the small trail of sand and like a curious puppy (maybe octopus was better) Bee followed it. His eyes widened at the sight of a fallen photo alongside a map and with a slight tilt to his head, Bee picked up the two items.

The photo was a smiling photo of Uzumaki Kushina, who must have been around six, alongside her parents. Even if there hadn't been rumors of the Yellow Flash marrying the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, the photo was proof of who was the mother of the nine-tailed jinchuuriki. Uzumaki Naruto might have her father's colouring but the shape of her face and everything else screamed her mother.

He dropped the photo and inspected the map. Notes filled the map, unreadable even for Killer Bee to read and some of the words just didn't make sense when he could read the terrible writing. Everything seemed to be related to cooking but when his eyes followed the faint lines of pencil mark, an idea began to form in his mind.

The faint lines indicated that someone tried to erase the evidence, which could have either been the Suna nin or the Uzu nin, but it was not faint enough for Bee not to pick up on it. The line seemed to draw into a circle as it pointed to a location on just the outskirts of the country of Taki.

_There had been rumors that no one has ever come back from there before once they set sail there._ Bee knitted his eyebrows and looked at his subordinates that seemed to be combing through the treasures and scrolls for any hints of where the Uzu nins had gone. He pocketed the map into his pocket, knowing that if he wanted to make his brother happy and to even get any chance of having a peaceful concert then this would be the way.

He could try to get his brother to leave him alone if Bee brought him his fellow jinchuuriki and a Kekkei Genkei that would be of use to him.

"Time to pack," Bee declared to his subordinates, holding out a map for all of them to see. He pointed to the faint circle around the ocean and his subordinates blinked their eyes at him. "We are going on a boat ride."

He probably would need to draw the map out and send it to his brother before they leave, just so he could send more subordinates to take as many Kekkei Genkei users as they can get. He would also be able to have some time off if he had just a few more people helping with the mission.

Bee honestly wanted to have a proper vacation; one that was not a mission nor him being confined to the village's walls.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me of your thoughts about the sequel. What do you think of the storyline when compared to the original book?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

_So this is what a normal, warm apartment looks like._

Naruto gazed at the small apartment that Izuku lived in with wide eyes while Todoroki rubbed the back of his neck, mismatch eyes taking in the sight of the various photos that decorated the apartment. Photos of a smiling Izuku being hugged by his mother alongside the photo of Izuku entering elementary school. She blinked at the photo of Bakugou and Izuku linked arms together, large smiles playing on their lips.

It had always been stated that those two were the best of friends before, but it was a whole different story to see it in front of her eyes.

"How old were you when that photo was taken, Izuku?" The green-haired boy stopped and turned his head, eyebrows raising to his hairline. Naruto tapped the photo on the wall opposite his mother's room, causing the boy to stare at the photo and for Todoroki to blink at the sight before him.

"Kacchan and me were three at the time," Midoriya curled his lips into a smile and green eyes seemed to soften slightly. He gazed at the photo for a long time, green eyes fixated at the smiles playing on his childhood self and Naruto winced. It had been a terrible thing for her to ask him.

"You and Bakugou looked like you had a different relationship," Todoroki commented. He tilted his head and scrunched his eyebrows before darting his eyes at the stiff green-haired boy. "What happened?"

"We just drifted apart." Bitterness and pain painted his voice and Naruto chewed her tongue till the only thing that could be tasted was the metallic taste of her blood and blue eyes just stared at the way Izuku kept clenching and unclenching his hands.

_Drifted apart._

It was perhaps the kindest thing that her friend could say to describe what happened between them, because drifted apart meant that Bakugou just didn't turn into an ass towards him. Todoroki nodded, mismatch eyes seemed fixated at the photo and then to her.

She couldn't tell him that Izuku was Quirkless before nor did she know the whole story between them.

"You look like your Mum, Midoriya." Izuku blinked and smiled at her, almost reminding her of one of those cute bunnies that Eri-chan wanted to buy.

Her classmate smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "A lot of people say that."

_It must be nice to know who you take after in appearance._ She gazed at the smiling photo of her classmate and his mother as Todoroki and Midoriya tilted their heads at her. They glanced at each other but it was Todoroki that shook his head at the green-haired boy.

"So do we go to your room to take the notebooks? Or should we start with the homework?" Cheerfulness and upbeat painted her tone as Naruto tore her eyes away from the photos to look at the boy. Green eyes darted to his room, where an All Might name tag decorated the door of his bedroom, and the older boy furiously shook his head.

"You guys can take a seat in the living room and I will bring out the notebooks," Izuku stuttered. His cheeks flushed red and sweat seemed to clung around his entire body, earning raised eyebrows from the two teens. He shook his head and dashed straight to the bedroom, leaving the two teens to go down the hall.

Todoroki kept his eyes fixated at her. "Do you want to talk about what happened there with Midoriya? Is there something more about the relationship between Bakugou and Midoriya?"

Naruto kept quiet and took a seat on the couch, body leaning forward as her hands clasped together. What could she tell him? The whole class had some idea that Bakugou and Midoriya had been close to before. But that was all she knew between them.

_There was a time when our friendship was strong._ She chewed on her bottom lip as Midoriya's words tickled her ear, almost reminding her that her classmate hadn't always been terrible to him. It had been difficult to believe but that smiling photo of them was proof.

"Midoriya told me that he and Bakugou used to have a strong friendship but I never really believed him," Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and took a deep breath. "But that photo I pointed out really did show me that they had been good friends before and I can't help but think of how sad it must be."

Todoroki looked up at the ceiling. "If they drifted apart then they have a chance to reconnect."

"But can they reconnect so easily?" She shook her head and let out a sigh. "Have you seen how Bakugou treat Midoriya at times?"

Her friend nodded and looked straight at her. "But Bakugou was willing to act civil with Midoriya when you went missing. They weren't the best of friends but their shared concern for you was enough for Bakugou to forget whatever caused them to drift apart."

Certainty leaked out from his words and Naruto just gawked at him, blue eyes blowing wide at those words. It never really occurred to her that the whole time she went to fight the Yakuza that Bakugou never picked a fight. _It is almost hard to believe._ But Bakugou could surprise her at times, making her forget that he wasn't some boy that had the talk.

"What makes you think that it was me?"

"Because it was the only time that Bakugou didn't throw a hissy fit about being in the same room as him or listening him talk," he deadpanned. Naruto let out a laugh and Todoroki chuckled too, lips curled into a smile and the blonde looked up at the ceiling. "You are special to them in their own ways."

"I can guess why I'm special to Midoriya but I don't understand Bakugou," she shook her head. "Sometimes I think we can be the best of friends with the way we argue and other times I just want to throttle him because he acts like a punk."

"Sounds like you."

Naruto puffed her cheeks and blinked when the younger boy looked at her with unwavering eyes that held hints of amusement. _Only he will think that was a joke._ She shook her head and flashed him a smile. He blinked, looked away and maybe it was her imagination but it felt like the temperature seemed to be increasing.

"Sorry for taking so long! But I had to find all of my books!" Naruto and Todoroki blinked as Midoriya dashed straight into the living room, juggling around nineteen notebooks. He stumbled and the blonde lunged forward, fingers grabbing the last five notebooks that seemed to be flying straight to the ground.

She caught all five of them, cradling them against her chest as Izuku dropped the books onto the table.

"You made all of these?" Todoroki muttered, eyebrows shooting across his forehead. _Glad to know that I'm not surprised by this._ She let out a laugh as Izuku bobbed his head, cheeks growing pink, and their friend picked up his notebook. "I presumed that you only did it for your opponents."

Midoriya flushed pink and rubbed the back of his neck. "I do it for every hero that I meet upon or heard about."

_You wouldn't think a couple of weeks ago that those two had any chances of becoming friends._ A smile played on her lips at the thought and Naruto picked up one of the notebooks, flipping it open. Various details of heroes filled the content of the notebook from their Quirk to even a little bit about their history alongside their actual names.

If Midoriya wrote their first names then he could confirm her suspicion about the Uzushiokage. Jiraiya's words were always on the back of her mind, constantly reminding her of the possibility that she might be related to this hero.

_I refuse to acknowledge you as a member of the Uzumaki clan._

She grinded her teeth together and swallowed down a lump.

"Midoriya, since you wrote down their civilian names then that means you know who they are, right?" The green-haired boy blinked and bobbed his head while Todoroki gazed at her with concern eyes. "Then can you tell me what is Uzushiokage's name?"

"Uzumaki Eisuke." Green eyes and blue eyes widened as Todoroki gazed at her. She swirled her head at him, lips wobbling and body trembling as her mind tried to process what her friend just confirmed. Izuku just blinked and swirled his head at Todoroki, eyebrows knitted together.

"How do you know his name, Todoroki-kun? Uzushiokage had never disclosed his name before."

_I doubt that your last name is even Uzumaki._

The whole world seemed to be spinning as Naruto tried to wrap her head around the fact that the man asked for her to be his intern. Why did he make an offer to her? Did he choose her because of her skill? Or was he after something? She cleared her throat, dropped the book and forced a smile to her friends.

"I got to go for a walk!" Pain leaked out of her voice and Naruto forced herself to smile as well as keep a cheerful tone to her voice. _I don't want to be seen as weak or a crybaby._ If she allowed them to see this pathetic side of hers then it would mean that bitch got to her.

She dashed out of the door and just before she slammed the door, Naruto thinks that she heard Todoroki say. "I will go and talk to her."

Naruto just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Laughter and giggles filled the park as if to remind and mocked Naruto about the fact she never had a normal childhood. She pushed herself back and forth through the swings, blue eyes fixated on the bright blue sky as the children glanced at her like she was some kind of weirdo for being here.

Maybe she might be too old for the game but it was the one place that Naruto could allow herself to forget about her trouble and immerse herself with nature.

"You know you shouldn't have run away the way you did," Naruto looked away from the sky and darted her eyes to the side. Todoroki stride towards her, his eyes focused on her trembling hands and the blonde just clenched her jaws. "Do you want to talk about what just happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She gritted the words out of her teeth and Naruto hunched her shoulders at her friend. What could she tell him? Even though Todoroki went through hell with his own father, Naruto truly doubt that he could understand what was happening in her life.

Todoroki stared at her and his mismatch eyes gazed at her like he knew what was going through her mind. He knelt down till they were both at eyelevel and he locked eyes on her. "Do you remember our promise?"

_Every time we talk about what your Dad did or your family then I will tell you my experience._

She nodded and clenched her hands against her skirt's uniform, throat clogging up as the years of endless questioning flashed before her eyes. He cleared his throat and Naruto looked at his eyes, taking in the strange mix of colors. No words came out of her mouth because she hoped and prayed Todoroki wouldn't push her to say something.

"When I woke up after the incident with my mother, all I did was try and search for my mother." Pain laced his voice even though his eyes almost carried no emotion. He placed his hands on either side of his body and closed his eyes. "I don't know how long I searched for her but I checked the whole house. She wasn't there so I went to Fuyumi."

Naruto felt her throat clogging up at his words and she placed her hands on his trembling shoulders. A part of her wanted to hug him but Todoroki could act really weird when it came to hugs. _But I don't want to see him suffer like this._

"She didn't want to tell me what happened to her," Todoroki inhaled and exhaled. "No one wanted to tell me so I went to my shitty old man, asking him where was she. He just told me that he sent her away."

"Todoroki…"

"I hate him for doing that to her because it was his fault for causing her to break down," Todoroki said, shaking and trembling as he failed to keep the anger and hurt from leaking out of his voice. "He drove her to become like that and all I ever wanted was for her to come back. She was the only person in my life at that time. The shitty old man refused to let me play with my siblings. My siblings were also busy with school and I was left alone."

Her throat clogged up even more and without thinking, Naruto hugged him. He stiffened before finally relaxing into the hug, his hand patting her back as tears leaked out of her eye. _I think this is the first time that there wasn't any ice being formed._ She sniffed but made no attempt to say anything.

Why would she? There was nothing that could be said.

"You aren't alone anymore," Naruto finally said when she got a better control of her emotions. She unwrapped her hands from his body and blinked at the sight of the small smile playing on his lips. _Pretty Boy is an understatement when he smiles._ She cleared her throat and looked away from him.

"I know," she blinked and Todoroki gazed at her. "I have got _you_, Midoriya and our classmates now."

A comfortable silence fell between them, allowing the two teens to absorb the scenery around them. Children glanced at them, giggling and laughing before rushing to their parents. Several people glanced at the teens, their eyes growing wide at the sight of the mismatch boy with Naruto. Finally, Naruto looked down at him.

_I have got you, Midoriya and our classmates._ Her lips twitched as she realized that there were some truth behind his words. She did have Midoriya and Todoroki as support, maybe even Bakugou too if she thought about the Sports Festival. _Todoroki is a lot more cunning then I give him credit._ By reminding her of the promise and using their mutual friend, he helped to remind her that she wasn't alone.

She had him, Midoriya, Nejire, Kendou and even Setsuna as friends. Tsuyu too and she could never forget Hinata-chan. All of them eased the ache inside of her.

"I never knew my parents," Naruto admitted, clearing her throat. "I don't even have a photo of them and their names were nothing but a mystery to me. A mystery that I wanted so badly to solve because I used to watch the other kids go back home with their parents, smiling and laughing as they talked about their day to them."

Tears burned through her eyes and Naruto felt a large lump tightening in her throat as the hazy memories of the past come rushing through. The clear sunny skies of Konoha and the smiling faces of her classmates with their parents. Her lonely apartment and the Hokage coming in to give her some money to pay for expenses. The food that she had to learn to prepare and offered to give to the Hokage.

The question:

_Why don't I have a Mummy and Daddy?_

The old man kept reminding her that they died in the Kyuubi attack.

_Who were my parents?_

No matter how much she wanted to deny it, a part of her would always be haunted by that question. A part of her just wanted that question to be answered so she could move on with her life.

"Uzumaki?" The softness of Todoroki's voice brought her back to reality and Naruto unclenched her hands. There was a wetness in her cheeks and she blinked, realizing that it must be tears. She cleared her throat and looked away from him, raising up her hand to rub away the tears that threatened her.

"Here," Naruto darted her eyes to Todoroki and stared at the offered handkerchief as mismatch eyes fixated on her. She bowed her head and rubbed the droplets of tears that seemed to be streaming through her eyes. He looks at her. "If it really brings you bad memories then we don't need to talk about it."

She shook her head and grinded her teeth together. "I'm not allowing some shitty memory to affect me."

He stared at her and his eyes widened just slightly before a sigh escaped from his lips, alongside with eyes that looked at the girl like she was a wonder. Naruto took in several deep breaths, willing for all the trembles and tears in her eyes to just fade away. A shaky breath escaped from her lips and Naruto looked straight at the kids.

"I kept asking my grandfather-figure about them," she inhaled and exhaled. Naruto clenched her hands into a fist as the blood inside of her boiled. "He kept refusing to tell me about them, always saying that he would tell me when I turned sixteen. That was always his answer: when you are sixteen, I will tell you about them."

"Uzumaki—"

"I stopped begging him for answers after an incident in my school with one of my classmates," Naruto looked straight up at the sky. "After that incident, I tried to push the thought away and never questioned him again. I just wanted to live in a fantasy of what my parents might be like…I don't want that _pig_'s words to be true."

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "What did your classmate tell you?"

Naruto just looked up at the sky, blue eyes never meeting the eyes of her furious friend. A bitter smile played on her lips as the taunts of the past echoed in her ear and her fingers dug into her skin, marking the nail prints in her arm.

It was not long before the marks faded as if to remind Naruto that she carried the monster that murdered her parents.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Todoroki shook his head and stared at her. "Uzumaki, I won't let you shut yourself off from me and the others. We are in this together. Didn't you tell me that talking about things could make a person feel better? I want you to feel better so tell me what happened. You can't avoid talking about it."

_I want you to feel better._

Her throat clogged up and Naruto gazed into the mismatch eyes of her friend. A part of her wanted to accuses him of trying to gain something from it, but then she recalled the apartment and the hospital visits. He didn't have to do it. Todoroki could have closed himself off and not bother himself with her, but he never did it.

Todoroki gained nothing from telling her those words.

"She said that my parents abandoned me because I was a bitch."

The words hung in the air and Naruto forced herself to smile as the rage and sorrow twisted and turned around in her stomach. Blue eyes widened when Todoroki hesitated before standing up from his knelt position. She tilted her head and the boy took a deep breath before wrapping his arms around her.

"You aren't a bitch," Blue eyes widened and her throat clogged up. He looked down at her and mismatch eyes looked at her like she was someone good. That she was capable of being someone great. "A bitch wouldn't have comforted her opponent. A bitch wouldn't have been trying to get her friend to open up or defend her friend from friends that lashed out. To me, you are anything but a bitch."

Her lips parted and there was a burning sensation around her throat as her brain processed what he just said. A lump seemed to clog up her throat as sincerity shone through his eyes. _Anything but a bitch._ She was a bitch because she hurt Hinata-chan for closing herself off from her. She was a bitch with the way she lashed out on people.

But Naruto could never tell him this.

She shook her head and inhaled the scent of her friend, allowing her whole body to just relax into the offered hug. "I pushed it back in my mind until the Sports Festival when Uzushiokage made that speech about Bakugou. Ero-Sennin brought up the fact that he might be my relative and a part of me did feel hopeful that he was family."

Todoroki released her from the hug and looked down at her with concern and knitted eyebrows. "You are no longer hopeful now, are you?"

"No," she admitted. Naruto looked straight at the couple that had their finger intertwined together and her lips curled into a small smile at the subtle rubs that the man made to the woman's belly. _A baby._ "I think I might have run into his relative, who might be my relative, and she tells me that she won't acknowledge me as family."

He narrowed his eyes at her words. "Uzumaki, don't tell me that you—"

"I did," Todoroki grimaced and she looked up at the sky. "I always wanted acceptance and acknowledgment from the people around me even when I was a kid. So it hurts like a bitch when my own potential family rejects me, because I should be the one to reject them."

He locked eyes on her and placed his hand on top of her shoulders, forcing her to meet his own eyes. He gazed at her cheeks, eyes darkening and Naruto wondered if she did something to anger him. _If he was furious with me then he would say something, even Todoroki can be a hothead at times._ She shook her head at the thought.

"I lived most of my life in a home that abused me," she choked the words out. "I lived in a place where I constantly had to question my own rights to live while they were able to have a happy life. What the fuck does she know about me? At least I'm not some kind of bitch that insults my seniors. She doesn't know of the hell that I went through."

Not even Hinata knew all of her deepest secrets and Sasuke just changed for the worse after the massacre, never fully acknowledging that she was also suffering from the pain of the incident.

Todoroki hugged her and she allowed herself to embrace the heat of his left side. Tears streamed down her eyes, wetting the boy's uniform. There might have been some snot too but her friend never complained or asked her to get off of him.

_Click._ The sound of a camera going off rang the alarm bells in Naruto's mind and she pushed her friend away, blond hair slapping the boy on the face as she tried to find the source of the camera. _Why would someone take a photo of them?_ They did nothing wrong, an innocent hug between two friends but her stomach turned at the thought of someone seeing it.

Naruto's eyebrows raised to her hairline when she realized that there was no one, except the children and the couple with them. _Maybe it was my imagination?_ Naruto darted her eyes to Todoroki and then her eyes wandered down, where her hands were still wrapped around her friend's arms.

The mismatch boy frowned, looked down and blinked as redness crept up in his cheeks. Naruto flung her hands away and looked away from him as blood rushed into her cheeks. Words bubbled in her mouth, maybe the start of her babble, but the blonde squeezed it down until only one question came out:

"Y-You just hugged me again to comfort me, right?"

She doesn't know why she even asking him.

Todoroki cleared his throat and bobbed his head. "I don't like to see you sad."

It was strange but a part of her felt slightly disappointed with that answer.

* * *

_Even though Hibiki is a grown man, he acts like a complete baby._

Jiraiya grunted and stared at the port, lips pressed into a thin line as a large ship came to view. Various people of various races smiled and raced towards the dock, where the cruise ship was going to land. _I gave that man money to take a plane, not some luxury ship._ He was going to get that extra money back from Hibiki, son of his deceased sensei or not.

A figure hoped off from the deck of the cruise ship, landing perfectly on his two feet as various people gazed at the cruise ship with wonder. Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line as a man in his mid-30s walked up to him, eyes fixated on the various citizens that had horns and tails.

"Jiraiya-sama," Hibiki greeted, bowing down at him.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow. "When I gave the money to Tsunade-hime a couple of weeks ago for you to come here, it was so that you come by plane. Was little Hibiki-kun scared to go on a plane?"

The man laughed and scratched the back of his neck before flickering his eyes to the cruise ship that he just came out from. Jiraiya followed his eyes and felt his fingers itched when he saw two beautiful woman with the most wonderful…_focus._ This was not the time for him to think about the sequel of his new novel.

_But maybe I should add the cat tail, that damn editor wants something new to my series._

"I went to this airport that you talked about and on my way there, I saw this plane." Jiraiya tore his eyes away from the woman and focused his attention on Hibiki. The man shuddered. "People were meant to have their feet either on the ground or on a boat. No amount of money in the world would make me fly in that flying death trap."

A laugh escaped from Jiraiya's lips as Hibiki gazed at the buildings surrounding them. His brown eyes showed no emotion as it gazed at the billboards that showed advertisements of various items that were supported by those heroes. Jiraiya shook his head and looked at the younger man.

"I told you that it was safe in my letter," Jiraiya reminded him. "I have been on it twice now and I'm perfectly fine."

Hibiki grunted. "Why does the genjutsu between our countries have to be in the middle of the ocean? And so far away from here?" He shook his head. "Do you know when I was in the country near the veil that no one can speak our language? I was lucky to find some Japanese Tourist who told me that the chances of dying in that flying death trap was low. I want no chance, not a low chance."

"You are a member of the ANBU and you are scared of a simple machine," Jiraiya shook his head. "You have more chance of dying in any mission that Tsunade gives you."

"Yeah but I know how to decrease my chances," Hibik reminded him. The man looked around and his lips curled into a smile when he caught sight of a couple of 12-year-olds racing out of the cruise ship, ignoring the yells of their parents. He shook his head. "I have no way to decrease my chance with that thing."

"If only Sarutobi-sensei can see how much of a big baby his oldest son is." Jiraiya looked up at the sky and then glanced at his sensei's son, who stiffened and frowned at the reminder of his father. It had been nearly three years since Orochimaru pulled that stunt in the Chunin Exam and Jiraiya could only imagine how Hibiki felt to be outside that cube, watching helplessly as his father fight his own student.

Hibiki cleared his throat and looked straight at the billboard. "How is Naruto?"

Jiraiya curled his lips into a smile, eyes closed and a loud laugh escaped from his lips. Blue eyes flashed with some emotion played in front of his eyes. Red cheeks as she denied about having a boyfriend. Knitted eyebrows and the blonde struggling to balance the energy. His lips twitched as the memory of the other day flashed before him, as Fukasaku smacking the girl whenever she was that close to messing up.

"Emotionally? Naruto is doing a lot better," Jiraiya finally answered. "Her teachers in that school had been doing a better job of helping her recover from the stunt that Mikoto's boy did."

_Mikoto must be rolling over her grave of what her son did to the village and to Naruto._ Jiraiya shook his head and looked out at the sea, ignoring the echoes of the past. Most of his genin team was now dead with just one member left alive, living his life peacefully with his daughter in that restaurant of his.

"You are the only one that calls him Mikoto's boy," Hibiki commented. "You always call both children of your student as her boys and never Fugaku, even though Fugaku was the one in charge of the Uchiha Clan."

Jiraiya grunted. "I never approved of her getting married to Fugaku. Minato and Teuchi tried to convince her not to do it, but that girl was insistent of following her duties instead of finding someone else to love. Look what getting married to Fugaku did to them, one son is a missing nin and the other son went to my teammate for help."

_I should have taken both of them in._ Jiraiya shook his head and ignored the raised eyebrow from Hibiki. He failed as a godfather to Naruto and failed as a mentor to Mikoto. During the years leading up to her marriage, Jiraiya should have pushed her to find someone else that was not Minato. To find someone that would not have a stick up his ass but he turned a blind eye.

Now three of four children had suffered from his actions.

_The moment Sasuke tried to kill Naruto, Jiraiya lost all hope for the child of his student and he doubts that anyone can save the boy from his destructive tendencies. He could only protect Naruto now._

"There had been a lot of unease around the Elemental Countries," Hibiki commented, changing the subject to the main issue at hand. He looked straight at the sea and pressed his lips into a thin line, ignoring the raised eyebrows from Jiraiya. "People are worried about countries that have a lot of Kekkei Genkei and it is all because of Naruto's speech."

_I was worried for this confirmation._

"I am sure that Hokage-sama told you, but she is going to send some chunin and jounin to do recon of this country," Hibiki informed him. He grimaced and rubbed his stubble. "Danzo wants confirmation that this country is of no threat and threatened to send his ANBU to come here."

Jiraiya rubbed his temple. "I was worried that this would happen. If Danzo and the other councilmembers had seen this then it means all the other Hidden Villages had seen it too."

"That was why I was sent here to protect and watch Naruto," Hibiki reminded him. _I forgot about that detail._ With the training and the extra research that Jiraiya had undertaken for his books, it escaped his mind about the real reason that the man was here.

"Iwa is going to be the biggest concern when it comes to Naruto," Jiraiya muttered. "Minato killed a lot of their shinobi and even though it was a mission, shinobi are still human. There will always be people that resent Minato for his actions."

Blond hair and furious red eyes flashed before him and the white-haired man grimaced. "Maybe not just Naruto."

"That explosive boy too, right?" Hibiki guessed. The Toad Sannin nodded and looked straight at the sky, lips pressed into a thin line. "He looks similar to Minato at that age, only his hair is shorter and Minato didn't scowl."

"I can protect Naruto from Iwa but you will need to protect that boy and his family," Jiraiya informed him. "I don't know if it is coincidence that he looks like Minato but anyone blinded by hate will mistake that boy as Minato's son."

The hair might be of a different colour but the hairstyle was similar and their noses were nearly identical. Jiraiya doubt that someone would think Naruto's classmate as a child of Minato, but he could not let an innocent child get hurt. He grinded his teeth and shook his head.

Would there be a day where the cycle would just stop?

"Do you ever think that maybe Minato might have strayed from Kushina and maybe that is why the boy looks a little bit like him?" Hibiki rubbed his chin and stared at the scowling couple across them. "Those two had their ups and downs in their relationship and since you do have the habit of taking Minato to the red-light district whenever they had their arguments—"

"Minato was devoted to Kushina and would never cheat on her."

There had to be another explanation for the resemblance, something that Jiraiya had missed when it came to Minato.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think so far of the sequel?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Pick someone that you know can help guide you into making the right decision._

Naruto nibbled her pencil and stared down at the notebooks that Midoriya gave her. Various notes of her top 10 options laid in front of her, detailing just exactly their Quirks and the ways in which it could be used. Right beside her notebook was the second-hand laptop that she bought, which had websites and forums detailing these heroes past.

It had only been three hours since she came back from Midoriya's house and already she cancelled out the majority of the list. Right now, her eyes lingered on Miruko. Miruko had been tempting since she was a strong _female_ hero that was close to the top four, but Naruto knew how to physically fight. The woman was what Naruto aspired to be as a kunoichi and maybe even a hero, but Miruko probably could not help her figure out her issue.

_Her intelligence stat isn't that high when compared to Edgeshot or even Hawks._ Naruto sighed and slumped her shoulders before crossing her out. _Maybe when I figure out everything then I will go to her._ She stretched her fingers and looked for the next person on the list: Uzushiokage.

_Uzumaki Eisuke._

Naruto inhaled and exhaled before glancing at the laptop and then down to the notebook. Only 22 but the man was already in the top 10, just below Edgeshot, and had already saved so many lives or so Midoriya's notebook claimed. His Quirk was a mystery but Naruto knew from the notes that the man had been passing off his chakra as a Quirk.

In that way, they were similar but that similarity wasn't enough for her to be convinced to work with him.

_I refuse to acknowledge you as a member of the Uzumaki Clan._

She clenched her hand against the pencil, cracking it half as her blood boiled at those words. It had been the bitch that said it, a child who made the claims but how could Naruto be certain that Uzushiokage would not make the same claim? Why would he even make an offer to her? Something was not adding up.

They were up to something and there was no chance in hell that Naruto would allow herself to walk into a trap.

Nodding, Naruto crossed out his name and looked at the remaining two people in the list. Hawks and Edgeshot were now the only contenders for her internship. _Edgeshot will work because I know what it means to be a kunoichi and he seems calm in battle._ That was an aspect of herself that still needed to be worked on but was it enough reason for her to write his name in her desired list?

The door to her apartment clicked open and Naruto forced herself to look up from the notebook and list scattered on the floor of her living room. She relaxed her shoulders when Jiraiya stepped in, humming and smiling goofily like he had found a new idea for his book. _He probably did._ Her head throbbed at the thought of the terrible grammar that she would need to read.

"Found new inspiration again?"

Jiraiya grinned and nodded, holding out his notebook for her to see. _It is a miracle that no one had caught him peeking on the girls in the hot springs._ She shook her head, rolling her eyes and returned her attention towards her list of offered internships.

Her mentor frowned and strolled towards her, body standing before her and Jiraiya looked down at the various notebooks and the crossed out list. He tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows. "What are you doing, Naruto?"

"Trying to figure out who to work with," Naruto admitted.

"Who to work with?"

She bobbed her head and held up the list in the air. Jiraiya snatched the paper from her hand, tilted his head down and knitted his eyebrows as he read through the information that her teacher provided for them. He blinked and looked down at her. "These many people made offers for you?"

"Yup," she nodded.

He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, making Naruto blink. Her throat tightened slightly and tears burned through her eyes because of the way Jiraiya's eyes seemed to shine with pride. No one had ever look at her like that and it kind of felt nice. _Like how a grandfather would look at her._ She shook her head at the thought.

"You ask Midoriya to help you, didn't you?"

Naruto blinked. "How did you know?"

"Your handwriting is different and you aren't the type to make so many notes," he explained, tapping the characters in the notebook. "This is something Midoriya would do. Why did you go to him?"

"I wanted to have a better idea of who to work with," Naruto admitted. She ran her hand through her hair, blond eyebrows knitted together and a sigh escaped from her lips. "During the Chunin Exams, I was damn lucky that you were there to train me even though we didn't actually train."

"Brat, I taught you how to summon toads!" He grumbled.

"I didn't use it during the match against Neji," she reminded him. Jiraiya shook his head and scowled while the blonde fixated her eyes on the list in his hands. _If the chunin exams had people giving offers to do work under them then I doubt I would have been given so many offers._ She clenched and unclenched her hands.

Black eyes darted to the list and he blinked at the sight of a crossed hero name. "You don't plan to work with Uzushiokage? Why not, Naruto?"

"A member of that Uzumaki clan disrespected me," Naruto wrinkled her nose and scowled. Jiraiya blinked and jerked his head at her, eyebrows rising up to his hairline. "She talked shit about me and no way in hell am I going to lower myself and work with them. Potential family or not, I want nothing to do with them."

Her mentor pressed his lips into a thin line. "What do you mean disrespect?"

"She called me a show-off," Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched and Naruto grinded her teeth together. "And she said that she refused to acknowledge me as an Uzumaki. Bitch said that she doubts my last name is even Uzumaki."

It felt like the whole world was shaking and Naruto forced herself to smile widely at her mentor. She closed her eyes, only to stiffen when the older male wrapped his arms around her. She blinked, almost uncertain of how she should feel about having such a warm hug from her mentor.

"The Hokage doesn't give that last name if he wasn't certain that you are an Uzumaki," Jiraiya informed her once he was done hugging her. "Your hair might not be the famous red that the Uzumaki Clan be but that doesn't make you any less than them. Tsunade is a descendent of the Uzumaki Clan and she never inherited that red-hair."

Naruto felt her lips twitched and the man looked down at her. "Thank you, Ero-Sennin."

"If you want to thank me then stop calling me by that nickname! I'm the great Toad Sannin." Her mentor puffed his chest and held his head high.

Naruto squinted her eyes at him. "I see only an old pervert."

"I'm not just any pervert!" She sighed and turned her head away, blue eyes focused on the photo of the Third Hokage and her. Right beside the photo was the photo of Team Seven alongside the recent addition of Eri and her standing side by side. _When the internships are done, I will visit her again. I will make some strawberry shortcake for her._ A smile played on her lips at the thought.

Jiraiya gazed down at the list and flickered his eyes at her. "Who do you want to work with?"

"Hawks? Or maybe Edgeshot?" Naruto tore her eyes away from the shelf and looked down at the scattered notebooks. Blue eyes lingered on the diagram of Hawks. His eyes seemed to be half-shut, almost like he was amused and laid back, with a smile that could fool someone into believing that he was happy.

_Monsters like you don't deserve to get comfort or cry._

"You know I have no idea about names but Edgeshot sounds like a badass hero," Jiraiya commented, picking up the notebook that contained Edgeshot information. He whistled and bobbed his head. "His Kekkei Genkei requires some skill and technicality since I doubt it will be easy to hone it from the very beginning."

Blue eyes fixated on the notebook right in front of her and Jiraiya blinked. He loomed over the blond-haired girl, picked up the other notebook and read through the notes. He raised a single eyebrow, bobbing his head and looked straight at the blond-haired girl who picked up her pencil.

"You want to work with the bird boy." Jiraiya stated.

Naruto hunched her shoulders and nodded her head. It was weird because Hawks Quirk would never suit her chakra, not since she had no wings to fly and her wind manipulation was still at its early stages. But those eyes looked just as lost as hers, looked like her own and she wanted to know what caused him to be a Hero.

Maybe Hawks could give her the answers that she wanted.

"He is going to be my number one option, second will be Edgeshot and my last option is Miruko." Jiraiya nodded and looked out at the window before darting his eyes at her. He offered her a smile, never trying to convince her to consider Edgeshot or even her potential relative. It was like he trusted her to make a decision and for that Naruto was grateful.

"Once you are done confirming your option," Jiraiya dropped the list down and looked at her with serious eyes. "We will be returning back to Mount Myoboku."

Naruto bobbed her head and head towards the kitchen, earning a raised eyebrow from Jiraiya.

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

"I am bringing some snacks this time! No way I'm eating that shitty food again."

* * *

**(Next day)**

_I'm going to become a hero like you and Naruto-neechan!_

Aizawa let out a yawn and curled his lips into a barely noticeable smile. Even though it had been weeks since Eri came to live with him, there was no denying that he was getting attached to the little girl. The fact that his foster daughter wanted to become a hero because of him and his student made him smile. The fact that his cheekbones felt stained made him think that he probably should stop smiling.

The door to the teacher's office flung opened and Aizawa straightened his back, dropping any smile. He twisted his chair around, blinking his eyes at the sight of Uzumaki standing before him with blue eyes that flashed with determination. Aizawa darted his eyes to Uzumaki's hand, blinking at the sight of the confirmation paper clenched in her hands.

"I made my decision on who I want to intern under," Uzumaki handed him her list and she smiled wide at him. Aizawa took the piece of paper, eyebrows raised together as he looked down at the list. _She is the last student to give in her list. _He raised his eyebrow at the options she chose.

_Hawks._ Aizawa darted his eyes from the list to Naruto, who still had a bright smile playing on her lips. _Hawks was the last person I would think she would choose._ His student was no slacker, a hard-worker in every way but Hawks was known for being relax in the job. In terms of public appearance, the man seemed to never have a challenge so why would Uzumaki choose him?

Maybe Uzumaki cared about rankings after all.

"Why did you choose him? Why not another hero?" He put down the list and locked eyes on his student. The smile on Uzumaki's face falter slightly and Aizawa narrowed his eyes at her. Was there something that Uzumaki hiding from him? He was already puzzled over Iida's choice of internship. _But Iida's parents claims that the boy is doing fine even though his brother had been attack._

He could only hope that his suspicion was wrong.

"I think we are similar to each other," Aizawa blinked and Naruto let out a laugh. A loud, boisterous laugh that almost reminded him of a teacher that was probably going to be late again, because he wanted to save someone. _But it isn't as real as All Might._

They still had a lot of work to do with Uzumaki's healings.

"You didn't consider him because he was one of the top 3 heroes?" His student laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. Blue eyes darted everywhere, avoiding his own eyes and Aizawa pressed his lips. There was nothing for him to do. It was Uzumaki's choice and he could only have faith in her abilities and her decisions.

The blonde nibbled her bottom lip and looked at the seat, where All Might always sat in. "Do you think I'm an idiot for choosing to go for a hero that doesn't have a similar Quirk as me?"

Aizawa regarded her and looked down at her top three choices of internships. The option that Uzumaki was talking about was Uzushiokage. In terms of similarity, Uzumaki and Uzushiokage did have a similar Quirk and they used it in different ways. Uzushiokage seemed to favor Lightening and Water attacks while his student liked to use Wind.

There was also the fact that the hero did work hard like his student and probably did have a good idea of how to improve Uzumaki's Quirk if that was her concern. _But Uzumaki's problem isn't her Quirk, it is her motivation._ Uzushiokage probably might not be able to help her, not when he admitted in television that he always wanted to be a hero.

"So you think I'm an—"

"I trust that you have your reasons for choosing Hawks," Aizawa informed her. "But Uzumaki, I need to remind you that while Hawks is a good hero, he is a laid-back man. So don't be disappointed if he isn't capable of giving you the answers that you want."

His student frowned and knitted her eyebrows. "Can he really be laid-back if he ranks at number three? Aizawa-sensei, I honestly doubt that he is as laid-back as he portrays himself."

_Perhaps but I don't want her to be disappointed if it turns out to be a terrible idea for her._ Aizawa shook his head and stared at the girl, who had a bright smile playing on her lips. The words were on the tip of his tongue but it died down when he noticed the subtle tremble in her body alongside the dark circles under her eyes. He darted his eyes to her arms, lips pressed into a thin line at the small scratches around her body.

"Uzumaki, are you okay?" His student stiffened at the question and Uzumaki pressed her lips into a very tight smile, tighter than even a violin string. Unease rolled a round in Aizawa's stomach, almost ready to consume him as the girl clicked her heels together.

"I'm peachy." A small yawn escaped from her lips and Uzumaki raised her arm, only to wince slightly. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at her and folded his arms against his chest, lips pressed into a very thin line at the lie that the girl gave him. Her eyes followed his and the blonde sigh. "Oh? Are you worried about the scratches? I have been training."

"Uzumaki, have you been training, going to school and working as well?" His student nodded and he pressed his lips into a very thin line. Black eyes darted to the calendar on his desk, where a whole week was highlighted just two weeks before the start of the internship. He grimaced.

"What's wrong?"

Aizawa took a deep breath and tried to rein in his temper. "Uzumaki, you have your mid-semester test coming up in three weeks time. You need to take a break from your part-time job to focus on your schoolwork. As much as I admire your work ethic, I don't want you to overwork yourself to death or see your grades drop."

The girl stiffened and gulped before darting her eyes everywhere but at him. She sucked in a deep breath, glued a smile on her lips and bobbed her head. _When will that girl allow people to see how she is really feeling?_ Aizawa just shook his head and looked straight at her. "Uzumaki, I only have one question to ask you: what is driving you to overwork yourself?"

Blue eyes widened and Naruto tilted her head to the side, nibbling her bottom lip. Silence hung between them as his student shifted her eyes to the window. The early morning sunrays tickled in, glowing his student up as if she was a product of them and the birds chirped, singing their usual merry tune. A quick glance at the clock and he realized that they had another fifteen minutes before class starts.

"I want to be stronger."

The tone seemed genuine but Aizawa wondered if there was another reason for her actions; reasons that his student did not want to admit too.

* * *

The seagulls chirped, the booming voices of the various workers as they did their rounds in the lower deck, and the bright sunlight reminded Gaara of just how far away from Suna. Kankuro flipped through the magazine that he stole from the convenient store near the port, while Temari looked out at the clear blue ocean. It had been a week since they set off and it would be another week before they arrived in Japan.

Or so Gaara had overheard from one of the workers below.

"Why couldn't we have taken one of those nicer ships?" Kankuro asked, flipping through the page of his magazine. "It would have been better than this dump."

Gaara raised a single eyebrow at his older brother. "This was the fastest boat going to Japan. That luxury ship planned to go to different countries before landing in Japan."

His brother slumped his shoulders while Temari rolled her eyes at them, teal eyes focused on the workers below them. They seemed to be flipping through the papers, laughing and joking around without a care in the world and Gaara could only ponder over the differences between their parts of the world. Everything about this place was just different from their people to its technology.

Not once in the past week had someone glared at him or make any snide remarks to him.

Kankuro darted his eyes down and he put down his magazine. His brother twisted his head to look at them. "Shouldn't we come up with a plan on how to take those children? And are you actually going to go through with the proposal sent by the council between you and Naruto?"

'_Marrying her will be the best way to protect her from Iwa and the other hidden villages, Gaara.'_

The thought made his stomach turned and Gaara shook his head as the memory played before him. Bright blue eyes that teared up and the tired, pained voice of his friend's voice echoed in his ear. _It is unbearable, isn't it? That loneliness._ He looked up at the sky, pressed his lips into a tiny smile and raised his hand up to the sky. _They saved me from myself._ Gaara clenched his hand into a fist and the various corpse of the people (shinobi and civilian alike) flashed before him.

'_We are lucky to be gifted with teachers that care about our mental well-being and physical well-being.'_

Perhaps when he becomes Kazekage then he would implement what his friend talked about.

"None of the children will be taken away," Gaara declared. His siblings twisted their heads around, eyebrows shooting straight to their hairline as they gawked at him. The red-haired boy gazed out to the ocean, hands in his pocket and teal eyes darted to his two siblings.

"Gaara, we have orders from the council," Temari took a deep breath and tried to calm down her trembling body when the boy looked at her. Gaara grimaced, staring up at the sky. _Even after three years, she still fears me._ "The children are important for our village. Naruto is important too."

"The council is making hasty decision," Gaara paused and looked down at the worker that had four arms carrying cargo. He pressed his lips into a thin line. "This part of the world could be just as dangerous, maybe even more dangerous than any hidden village. If the technology so far that we have seen is this advanced than it stands to reason that they have weapons that can destroy a whole village."

_You murdered my sister._

He closed his eyes.

_My mother did nothing to you._

Gaara inhaled and exhaled as more and more voices pushed into his ears alongside lifeless eyes and mangled corpses danced before his eye. _So many bodies and I can't remember who was my enemy and who had been innocent in my rage._ He could not allow the council to bring another worth of bodies, not when the fault would lay on his shoulders.

"Then why did you agree to this mission? Why didn't you argue against this?" Kankuro put down his magazine and strode towards him. He leaned over him, lips curled into a scowl and Gaara inhaled. The red-haired boy pressed his lips into a thin line and the boy exhaled.

"Because I want to warn Naruto of what her actions caused," Kankuro blinked and Gaara shifted his eyes to Temari. His sister raised her eyebrow at him. "She needs to be protected from the hidden villages."

Kankuro gulped and inched away from him, looking wildly at the open space around him. The only sound that could be heard were the chants of the workers alongside a few chatter and Gaara rubbed his head. A part of him would always feel a desire to hurt them but he pushed away the thought. _I'm not the same person._

"Do you have any idea on how to track her down? We don't have any tracker nins with us."

Gaara nodded. "Naruto had her face blasted around television alongside her school's name. We would need to just find out where Yuuei High is and that would be where we find Naruto."

Kankuro slumped his shoulders.

"Do you even have any idea of how to protect her?"

Silence was the only answer that Gaara gave them.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Naruto deciding to go with Hawks? What do you think about this chapter? And of the relationship between Jiraiya and Naruto as well as Naruto and Aizawa?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

_**Nearly 3 years ago**_

"_Here do you want to try one, Sasuke-kun?"_

Naruto stood to the side of the hospital room, a wide smile playing on her lips as Sakura offered a peeled apple to Sasuke. A part of her felt grateful that their teammate had been looking after him when she had been off with Jiraiya to search for Tsunade.

A part of her envied the amount of care that Sakura gave to Sasuke. _If it have been me in this situation, would she visit me?_ Naruto doesn't understand why she thinks like this. She just knew that she always had an ugly feeling in her stomach whenever Sakura hummed and smiled at Sasuke, or how their eyes seemed fixated at each other.

The smile on Naruto's lips faded when Sasuke lifted his head up, eyebrows scruntched together and a scowl played on his lips. Pure hate and rage radiated from his eyes but those eyes weren't fixated on Sakura. _His eyes seemed fixated on her._ Naruto stiffened and could stare wide-eyed as her best-friend flung the bowl of apples from Sakura.

The bowl crashed and Sakura flinched, green eyes widening at what just happened. Naruto darted her eyes down at the cracked bowl and _only later when she looked back, did she realize that it was a symbol of him cracking from whatever hell that Itachi put him through._ Sakura glanced at Naruto, eyebrows knitted together.

"_S-Sasuke-kun?"_

Naruto just stared down at the cracked bowl, lips pressed into a thin line as she looked from the cracked bowl to her best-friend. "_What the hell just happened, Sasuke!"_

Sasuke glared at her and Naruto just clenched and unclenched her hands. Sakura darted her eyes between the two of them, green eyes widening and she opened her mouth to say something. Naruto shook her head because as much as she disliked her teammate at times, she was not going to get her involved with this mess.

"_Don't you dare give me that expression, Bastard!"_ She snarled. Sakura nibbled her bottom lip, looking between the two of them as if they were going insane. If anyone was going insane then it was her brother-figure. Of all people, Sasuke should know damn well of the effort that Sakura went to peel that apple.

Her teammate didn't have to go through the effort. Hell, Naruto would never put even that effort when it came to Sasuke because the bastard needed to grow up. If someone went through the trouble of peeling an apple for her then Naruto would have worshipped the ground they walked on.

If someone even cried at the thought of her dying then Naruto would have treated them with respect.

"_Naruto, I want you to fight me! Fight me now!"_ Naruto blinked and stumbled slightly as Sakura glanced at the two of them. Green eyes flashed with concern and the girl opened her lips to protest. Naruto tuned her teammates out, blue eyes fixated at the dark eyes of her brother figure. _What the hell happened in his coma?_

His behavior had been improving until that stunt with Itachi.

She cleared her throat and closed her eyes as she tried to push away her nerves. "_Now? Bastard, the Old Hag just healed you a couple of days ago. Have you lost your mind? What the hell happened with Itachi?"_

"_It is none of your fucking business!"_ Sakura gasped at the loudness of Sasuke's voice and green eyes locked onto Naruto. Naruto felt her blood boiled at those words. None of her business? It was her business because they were friends. It was her business because Mikoto wouldn't want them to fight like this. "_Fight me!"_

Naruto grinded her teeth and strode towards him, blue eyes blazing with fury. Sakura tried to grab her, probably to stop her from pulling him off the bed, but the blonde yanked her arm away. She darted her eyes to Sakura, whose green eyes trembled with fear and concern. "_This is between the asshole and me, __**Sakura**__."_

"_Naruto, you need to control your—"_

"—_You don't understand shit about what the asshole is asking!"_ She snarled at the girl. Naruto pulled her hand and strided towards her friend. Warm black eyes flashed before her like it always did whenever Naruto looked at Sasuke. Their childhood laughter echoed in her ear and she could only think of the woman that made her feel special.

"_It is always about you!"_ She screamed at him, yanking him up from the bed. _"I went with a huge pervert so I can save your sorry behind from whatever mind games that your brother did to you…"_

Sasuke snarled. "_Do you honestly think that you __**saved**__ me! I don't care if Tsunade is the Fifth Hokage! You shouldn't have gotten her—"_

_**Smack.**_

Silence hung between the three of them as Naruto slapped Sasuke hard on the face. Her shoulders trembled and the blonde waited for the usual scolding from Sakura but her teammate said nothing. Green eyes could only just look at Sasuke with confusion and irritation. That was good because Sasuke deserved to get slap. It would have been what his mother would have done because he was acting like a baby.

"_I got her because I don't want to see you suffer or unconscious again!"_ She snarled at him. He turned his head away, black eyes blazing with irritation and anger. Naruto wanted to punch him but the hospital would get angry with her if she did it. She grinded her teeth together and slumped her shoulders, realizing what was the best option for them. "_If you want to fight me then let us fight! I have always wanted to kick some sense into your scrawny ass!"_

When Naruto looks back, she realized that she probably should have some self-control. That she should have never slapped him or rise to the bait but at the age of thirteen, Naruto didn't know self-control. She only allowed her frustration of Sasuke's constant mocking of her skill to get the better of her.

She should have never accepted his challenge.

* * *

_Well he improved the plot, but his handwriting still sucks._

Naruto chewed on the end of her pencil, blond eyebrows knitted together as she read through the recent changes and additions to Ero-Sennin's new book. _If you can correct all of my mistakes then I will give you a big paycheck._ Those had been her mentor's words when they came back from Mount Myoboku a few days ago.

The thought of a big paycheck made Naruto strived to read and correct his book.

"But he could at least write his characters properly." She grumbled under her breath. Kirishima and Ashido turned around, eyebrows rising together as their eyes landed on Naruto. The two teens glanced at Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, who both hung their shoulders up.

Ashido tilted her head and leaned towards Naruto. "What are you doing, Uzumaki? You have been writing and scratching out stuff in that notebook."

The blond-haired girl looked up from her book, cheeks burning a bright shade of red as yellow eyes flashed with mischief and curiosity. Mina tilted her head to the side and blinked when Naruto shut the book quickly and let out a high-pitched laugh. "N-Nothing."

_This big paycheck better be worth it._ Naruto pulled the book closer to her side and forced herself to smile at Ashido. The girl just stared at her, not looking one bit convinced by her words, while the other members of their class turned to look at her.

Yaoyorozu tilted her head, black eyes gazed on the flushed cheeks of the blonde, and commented. "Your cheeks are flushed, Uzumaki-san."

"T-The classroom is hot!" Several eyebrows raised at Naruto's high-pitched voice and the blonde kept the smile fixed on her face even when her body sunk lower into her chair. _Could someone just kill me now?_ What made her think it was a great idea for her to do the work during homeroom class.

"Do you need me to cool you down?"

_Either Ero-Sennin ruined my innocent mind or Pretty Boy doesn't think how wrong his words sounds out loud._ Naruto covered her face as her ears grew a pretty shade of pink and the members of class A stared at Todoroki with wide eyes. Ashido giggled and darted her eyes from Naruto to the dual-toned boy, who now leaned closer to the girl. Yellow eyes twinkled with mischief as if she knew something that no one else knew about.

Bakugou's eyebrows twitched, Midoriya flushed a light shade of pink and Mineta just stared at the boy with tears streaming down his eyes.

The dual-toned boy frowned and leaned closer to Naruto, only to flicker his eyes towards the open book. The stoic boy blinked and blinked before jerking his head away, his cheeks growing a bright shade of red and a light dribble of blood streamed down his face.

Naruto darted her eyes to Todoroki and the boy looked away from her with the only sign of embarrassment was the light dust of pinkness around his cheeks, alongside a small nosebleed. _Oh god, he read it again._ Naruto took a deep breath and slammed the book shut, drawing it close to her chest and avoiding the curious eyes of her classmates.

"You read nothing, Todoroki!" she hissed to him as soon as their classmates glanced at each other. Todoroki flushed pink, opened his mouth to protest and Naruto shoved her hand against his face. He raised a single eyebrow at her as if asking her why she was doing such an activity in school.

_I didn't think anyone would question me._

Mineta frowned at the two teens and black eyes narrowed at the sight of the blood dripping out of Naruto's covered hand. He smiled and jumped out of his seat. "You were writing smut, weren't you Uzumaki?"

Silence hung in the classroom as all of the students tried to process what Mineta had stated. Their eyes shifted to the red-faced girl and then to Todoroki, who still had some flushed cheeks. All of them now returned their attention to the blushing girl, who released Todoroki from her hand. She straightened her back, blue eyes flashed with irritation as she willed the flushed cheeks to go away.

"I didn't write it!"

Mina choked and rubbed the back of her neck. "But you aren't denying that it is smut!"

Everyone looked at her and Naruto just gulped down a lump, fingers twitching as her mind tried to come up with a reasonable lie. Mineta and Kaminari's eyes flashed with growing excitement as he bounced in his seat while everyone else just folded their arms against their chest. _I have no good lie to explain this book, not when Todoroki got so flustered from just seeing one sentence._

"_That means he is easy to tease,"_ a traitorous voice inside of her head declared and Naruto shoved it again. Todoroki was her friend, a good friend and she would never intentionally fluster him.

"I'm correcting Ero-Sennin's novel! You're happy now!" Everyone blinked and just knitted their eyebrows together as the blonde shoved the draft novel into her bag. Midoriya choked at her words, cheeks flushing a bright shade of pink and green eyes avoiding Bakugou, who turned to him.

"_E-Ero-Sennin?"_

"_Novel?"_

Those were the only two words uttered in the classroom when the students finally processed her admission. Bakugou narrowed his eyes at her, lips curled into a sneer as if demanding for her to explain herself to him and there was only one thought in her mind. _He ain't my father or even my brother. I don't have to explain myself to him._

Their relationship was nowhere close enough for her to explain to him about who the hell was Jiraiya to her.

Midoriya gulped down a lump. "So the whole time when we were training, Jiraiya-san—"

"Jiraiya? You mean the writer of the Icha-Icha Series!" Mineta and Kaminari cried in unison. They scrambled out of their seats and charged straight to the blond-haired girl. They kicked and shoved everyone out of their way, kneeling down at her like they were a couple of dogs. Stars shone through their eyes and Naruto just had to wonder how many times had those two read his books.

"Yes," Naruto grunted.

Kaminari sprang up from his position, yellow eyes flashing with curiosity and excitement, as he shoved both hands onto her desk. Mineta hid just behind him and eyed her bag pack as if it held the greatest treasure in the world. _For a pervert like him, this is his bible._ She could only imagine how much influence that this book have on him. "How do you know him, Uzumaki?"

"He's my guardian." She admitted, slumping her shoulders at them. Several eyes widened and Naruto just sunk even lower, wishing not for the first time that her mentor could be just a normal author. _Could someone save me now._ Rescue came in the form of All Might slamming the door open, smiling widely at them.

He blinked at the sight of the students gazing at Naruto. All Might opened his mouth, only to close it when Midoriya furiously shook his head. The man frowned, but he did as the boy silently requested of him. He realized that this might be one of those times where he didn't want to know what just happened.

All Might cleared his throat and everyone swirled their heads towards him. Naruto released a sigh and darted her eyes to Todoroki, who still had flushed cheeks. She waited till All Might began to explain their lesson for today, which was apparently sparring without the use of Quirks, before banging her head down on the table. Her eyes peeked at her flushed friend.

Todoroki flickered his eyes to her open bag pack and his cheeks still flushed a light shade of red. He avoided her eyes and Naruto felt her lips twitched slightly.

"No one is allowed to use their Quirks," All Might cleared his throat and Naruto looked up. "And no one is allowed to cause _serious injuries_. It is important as a hero that you have some self-control."

Naruto stiffened, hands clenched into a tight ball of fist as the picture-clear memory of her battle with Sasuke flashed before her eyes. She took in several deep breaths and shoved it to the side because there was no need for her to remember this. _I won't make the same mistake._ Naruto stretched her fingers.

"So all of you change into your outfits and meet me in the training square."

* * *

"I wonder which one of us can give Uzumaki a run for her money!" Ashido declared as she put on her skin tight outfit. Yellow eyes darted to Naruto, who slipped out of her white-blouse. The blonde blinked and shrugged, not caring one bit about which one of her classmates could actually make her sweat in this exercise.

Ashido paused and leaned closer to Naruto, bumping her shoulders next to the girl. Naruto tilted her head and blinked when yellow eyes twinkled with mischief and a coy smile played on Ashido's lips. Dread settled into Naruto's stomach because her classmate must want something from her. Information maybe? Does her classmate want to know how to win Todoroki's heart?

That had to be the only explanation for that look.

"Do you hope that All Might will put you and Todoroki together?" Naruto swirled her head and gawked at Ashido. She blinked and blinked, trying to process what her classmate had just said to her. Why would she say that?

"W-What? Why?" Her voice turned high-pitch as all of the girls turned to look at them. Ashido giggled and wrapped her arm around the flushed girl while everyone shook their heads at the antics of the girl. Yellow eyes twinkled with mischief and her classmate lowered her voice.

"So you can have some _physical_ contact with him in the premise of—"

Naruto flushed a brighter shade of red. She shoved her classmate's hand off her shoulder and slammed her locker door shut, body trembling at the accusation thrown at her. She bowed her head down, hair dropping to cover her flushed cheeks. She was a kunoichi and a part of her felt absolutely comfortable with physical contact, but the idea of Todoroki and her…well it made all of her blood rushed to her cheeks.

She steadied her trembling hand. "T-Todoroki and me are _only _friends!"

Naruto blinked and groaned when all of her female classmates swirled their heads at her, eyebrows raised at her declaration. She turned her head up, not understanding why all of her female classmates were looking unimpressed with her words. Yaoyorozu cleared her throat, drawing Naruto's attention to her, and the girl offered her a small smile.

"Uzumaki-san, you and Todoroki-san don't act like two—"

"We are friends!" She clenched her hands into a fist and took several deep breaths. Yes, Naruto would admit that she probably treated Todoroki different from Midoriya, Bakugou and hell even Sasuke but that meant nothing. Unlike those three, she trusted him with aspects of her past.

They just relied on each other when it came to talking about their childhoods because none of their classmates could understand it.

"No friend would look at another friend's ass or chest when she wears a cheerleader's outfit!" Hagakure giggled and Ashido bobbed her head in agreement. Naruto blinked before jerking her heads at her two bubbly classmates. Her pink-skinned classmate rubbed her chin and her yellow eyes twinkling with mischief.

Naruto could only look away as her cheeks turned to an even brighter shade of red. She inhaled and exhaled, willing for her blush to die down because it hadn't meant anything for Todoroki to look at her in that way. _They have to be joking._ Naruto would have caught Todoroki if he did it.

_You look __**pretty**__ in that outfit._

She furiously shook her head. Those words were just said because Todoroki was trying to calm her down so she did not kill Mineta and Kaminari in front of the whole world. _But his eyes seemed completely serious._ She inhaled and exhaled, reminding herself that it probably meant nothing.

Yaoyorozu smiled slightly, put on her skirt and knitted her eyebrows as if a thought came into her mind. "Uzumaki-san, if you don't mind me asking but why did you make it an even bigger deal to wear a cheerleader's outfit?"

_You're an __**ugly**__ fox._

Naruto balled her hands into a fist and clenched her jaws together at the memory. Cruel eyes flashed in front of her and the memory played like a movie right in front of her. Even now she could recall Ami's screams as she pulled out that lovely hair her classmate adored so much. _That bitch deserved it._ She grinded her teeth together.

Yaoyorozu and the other girls glanced at each other, eyebrows knitted together. Asui pressed her lips together and walked over to Naruto, putting her hand onto the taller girl's shoulder and that forced Naruto to look at her. Muddy green eyes flashed with concern and the blonde looked away, swallowing down the lump in her throat.

"I don't want to talk about it." Naruto forced the words out of her throat. Her classmates blinked and glanced at each other, looking almost uncertain of what to do with the blonde. She accepted a long time ago of the fact that maybe she would never be the prettiest girl in the room, that the honor of that would always go to either Ino or Sakura. But as long as she was strong then it was fine.

"Uzumaki-chan, did someone bully you when you wore a skirt before?" Asui's accusation hung in the air and Naruto stiffened, taken back by how her frog-like friend could figure it out. _Then again Asui is very observant._ It was a nice trait for a teammate but Naruto was not close to any of them. This aspect of her life was not something she wanted anyone to know.

She plastered on a smile and furiously shook her head. "No! I just hate skirts and dresses!"

"But you are wearing a dress." Ochako commented.

"I feel comfortable fighting in a dress and no one will be stupid enough to care whether I look good in a dress or not." She cursed under her breath, realizing that she just gave them a way of the fact someone did hurt her feelings. Her logic made no sense but the truth was that Naruto did not have the best inspiration when it came to designing her hero outfit. It had been either this or dress like that insane protector in the Chunin Exams.

She might be a former kunoichi but Naruto had her limits.

"Guys, I can hear someone from the other side of this wall!" Jirou held her hand up and knitted her eyebrow as her ear jack plugged into the war. Naruto narrowed her eyes and channeled her chakra into her ear before pressing it against the wall. The other girls frowned and stared at the blond-haired teen.

"Yaoyorozu's boobs, Hagakure's floating panties, Uzumaki's scrumptious body—"

Naruto blinked, blue eyes widening at the sound of explosives crackling and ice crackling and speeding straight towards the direction of the wall. Todoroki's voice bounced through the wall and quiet rage leaked out into his tone. "_Don't ever say anything crude about Uzumaki. Don't even look at her."_

"_Look at Uzumaki and I will fucking kill you."_ Bakugou yelled out, his voice echoed throughout the classroom. Most of the girls looked wide-eyed at her and Naruto just blinked, eyebrows knitted together at the fact that her fellow blonde had also threatened Mineta.

"Uzumaki-chan is stuck in a love triangle."

Ashido giggled. "Maybe a love square if we include Midoriya."

* * *

The whole class sat in a circle and stared at the two students that would start the excise. On one side of the circle was Naruto and on the other side of the circle was Ojiro. All Might stood between them, his blue eyes focused on the two students and his hand gripped the clipboard.

"Do you think that Ojiro have a chance against Uzumaki?" Uraraka asked as All Might eyed the two students. Midoriya hesitate and furiously shook his head. Todoroki pressed his lips and gazed at the floor while everyone else leaned forward, their eyes excited at what they were about to see.

"Uzumaki is still terrifying without her Quirk," Midoriya explained and Naruto smiled slightly at the praise. Terrifying was probably right because she didn't need to use her chakra to cause a crater in the ground. "Her natural strength can break a whole tree."

Everyone swirled their heads at him and the boy flushed red. Naruto darted her eyes to her classmate, who did not even tremble at this knowledge and the blonde blinked. She darted her eyes to All Might, raising an eyebrow at the length of time that it was taking her teacher to just start a fight. _I just want to get this over and done with. _Her fingers itched to punch something.

"You are very quick with your Quirk, Uzumaki-san." Ojiro commented, drawing her attention to him. The boy had a smile playing on his lips as his eyes fixated on her clothes. He tilted his head at her. "Do you have any martial arts experience?"

_If you include the Academy's years then I probably have more experience than everyone in this room._ Naruto chewed her tongue, stopping the arrogant words from coming out of her mouth. She was not twelve years old again, not some cocky kid again. Okay, she might be arrogant but Naruto was not going to show it to them. So instead she just bobbed her head at him.

"Start!"

Naruto leaned her body backwards as Ojiro sent his right fist flying straight towards her. The blonde grabbed his arm and twisted him around, blue eyes blinking when the boy curled his left hand into a fist. _At least his reaction time is slightly faster than a normal civilian._ She grabbed hold of that fist and slammed her leg against the side of his ribs, knitting her eyebrows together as she tried to lower the output power.

_No __**serious**__ injuries._

Furious black eyes flashed before her alongside the yells of their jutsu echoing in her ear. _No matter how angry Sasuke makes you, you shouldn't have tried to use the Rasengan against him. Neither of you should have used those jutsu in a fight against comrades._ She grinded her teeth and loosened the tension in her legs.

Blue eyes watched as the boy crumbled to the ground, spitting out blood. Everyone gawked at her and Naruto avoided the concerned eyes of All Might. The girl bowed her head down, grinding her teeth together as she realized that there was another aspect of herself that needed to be controlled. No one had really ever asked her to control her strength but then again, they could be held responsible for injuries inflicted on the villains.

There had been that famous lawsuit against that American Hero, who had been sued by a villain for breaking several bones in his body.

"Does anyone want to make any comment?" All Might questioned them.

"Yeah, Uzumaki is scary."

* * *

"I have got two new interns joining me, Uzushiokage."

Keigo smiled and leaned his body against the chair, brown eyes fixated on his fellow hero. The red-haired hero blinked and smiled widely at him, green eyes fixated at him. The wing hero folded his arms over his head, lips curled into a smile as he waited for the question that he knew Eisuke was just going to ask him.

"Oh? What are their names, Hawks?"

Keigo tilted his head and hummed. "Uzumaki Naruto and Tokoyami Fumikage."

He could only blink when Uzushiokage stiffened at the mention of Uzumaki Naruto. Oh, Keigo knew that the hero had been very interested in the girl and it was not much of a stretch to wonder why. The girl had a similar Quirk to Uzushiokage, which would have made the man want her. But it had been a wonder that the girl accepted his offer instead of Uzushiokage, not when the man probably had a better clue to work with her Quirk.

He did not really care and it would be clear to Keigo when he meet the girl and Tokoyami.

Keigo chuckled and stared at the hero. His lips curled into an even bigger smile at the sight of the light pink lipstick stain that decorated his neck. _It is a pure miracle that the media haven't realized that the man is in a relationship so far._ Keigo let out an exaggerated sigh and the man jerked his head at him. "What?"

"It must be so nice to be so free with your relationship." The man blinked and Keigo laughed, pointing straight to his neck where the lipstick stained stood. The red-haired man flushed a very bright shade of red and quickly rubbed the lipstick stains against his neck, swearing furiously under his breath and Keigo just laughed. "You need to be more careful, Uzushiokage."

The man groaned and Keigo looked out at the window, brown eyes fixated on the various people walking in the streets. In every corner of the street, he could make out a copy of Uzushiokage patrolling the area. _More than the usual numbers that he put in patrol._ He kept a smile plastered on his face and shifted his eyes to the hero, who tilted his head at him. The hero knitted his eyebrows at him.

"I'm surprised that you made an offer to Uzumaki after I made a comment." Uzushiokage said lightly, stretching his body.

Hawks just shrugged and tilted his head upwards before looking at the hero. "Oh, I didn't choose to make an offer because of you. I considered her because she was in the top 4."

His fellow hero pressed his lips together and he leaned forward, green eyes fixated at him. Sometimes Hawks envied his fellow hero, not just because of how much more flashier of his Quirk was. But because Uzushiokage had lived a normal happy life. It had been clear from the naïve way that Uzushiokage could just spill so many aspects of his life to him.

The man was just too open at times and Keigo did not know how to handle him at times.

"So Todoroki did not take your offer?"

Hawks bobbed his head and sighed. "Kid probably took his father's offer."

Uzushiokage curled his lips into a smile but those green eyes flashed with mistrust and concerned. Keigo smiled and looked up at the ceiling, brown eyes fixated at the new characters that had been added to the building. He didn't know what was more of a curiosity, the new Japanese characters and the new shapes surrounding them or the concern that the man had. _Then again Eisuke holds no respect to Endeavour._

He could never get the story out of him.

"So why did you offer to Uzumaki?" Uzushiokage smiled and green eyes glinted with pure curiosity and suspicion. Keigo hummed, lips curled into a smile and looked up at the ceiling. The truth would be because that Keigo found no information about the girl. That Keigo was deeply suspicious about the Quirk that Eisuke had and how the man had never suffered any drawbacks from extensive use.

Uzumaki Naruto had shown the same pattern and Keigo could only conclude that it was no coincidence.

"Well 40% is because I am just so curious to know what happened with the League of Villain," Uzushiokage stiffened and jerked his head. Keigo saw no true harm in divulging that piece of information, not when he would inform the reason if the girl ever asked him.

"So what about the other 60%?"

Keigo smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well the other 30% is because I see a similarity between us and the other 30% is due to the fact that I just want to guide her. She is like a bird that is afraid to release her wings, a bird that is afraid to fly."

Uzushiokage blinked and Keigo just let out a yawn, stretching his arms. He closed his eyes slightly, offering him a tiny smile and the red-haired man knitted his eyebrows. He could only shrug and wait for the man's next move. None of the things that he stated was true. The 40% applied more to Tokoyami. The reason he wanted the girl was to see and analyse the Quirk that seemed to be too similar to the man in front of him.

"Why don't we do a team up when you have those interns." Hawks closed his eye and forced himself to relax his body. Team up? There had to be a story of why his fellow hero wanted to do a team up when his intern came. Uzushiokage always offered but there had been no denying that the man had been on edge. No denying that the man had been eyeing for the girl to work with him.

He knew from the way that the man had been constantly eyeing her throughout the whole Sports Festival.

Hawks forced a smile, shook his head and brown eyes held a calculating glint. "I don't do team-ups."

"C'mon I wanna meet those interns!" Eisuke pleaded. "I really want to meet that girl. It isn't every day that a student can get first place in all three rounds in the Sports Festival

Keigo curled his lips into a smile and laughed. "Okay but I want your clones. That is my only condition to this team up."

If Hawks wanted to have a better clue on the similarities between them then he would need to see them side by side. If he wanted to know what was pushing the man to want to work with that girl. The more information he had, the better. The better understanding of Uzushiokage's Quirk, the better because things were not adding up.

No two Quirks could be that similar and not have any drawbacks.

* * *

**A/N**: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

The giggles and chatters of her fellow students seemed to fill the open gates of Yuuei High, signaling the end of a long school day. A gentle breeze tickled Naruto's hair, sending it flying in the air as the blond-haired girl looked in the direction of the nurse's office. While almost everyone could leave the school on time, Ojiro had to wait till he wake up from the nurse's office.

"_It is good to be strong, Uzumaki but that strength would do you no good if you give ever-lasting injuries to the villains. Heroes are not above the law, child and so you need to learn to control that great strength of yours."_

Naruto sighed and looked up at the falling cherry blossoms. _Control that great strength of yours._ Her hand stretched out to grab the falling flower and only one stayed in her gasp. She looked down at the flower, lips pressed into a thin line as she crumbled it with her hand. How could one control their own natural strength? Did she need to go to Jiraiya about this? No, the man did not possess her own strength.

The only other person with her natural strength was Tsunade and from the stories that Naruto used to hear from the Third, the woman held no control over her own temper.

"Uzumaki-chan!" Naruto blinked when Nejire wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close to her chest. The girl squeaked and twisted her head around to have a better look of the woman. A bright, giddy smile played on her friend's face and the blonde felt her lips twitched into a large smile.

She darted her eyes to the side and offered a smile to both Togata and Amajiki. Her blond-haired senior beamed at her, offering her a smile and then nudged at Amajiki-senpai, who seemed to have his eyes fixated on her and Nejire. Redness clouded his cheeks and Naruto blinked. _The weather isn't hot this time._ Naruto removed Nejire's hand from her shoulders and strolled towards her senior.

She tilted her head. "Are you okay, Amajiki-senpai?"

The boy blinked and gulped before nodding his head furiously at her. He twisted his head away, indigo eyes seemed fixated everywhere but at her own blue eyes. The older boy inhaled and exhaled as the redness in his cheeks seemed to fade a way, making Naruto wonder if he had a strange sickness. Finally, the boy looked at her. "D-Did you choose your internship?"

A smile broke out of Naruto's face and the girl smiled widely at him. "Yup and I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, Amajiki-senpai. You were a real hero to me that day."

He blinked and flushed a light shade of red, bowing his head so low that she could not make out the emotions in his eyes. Togata let out a booming laugh and rushed to his friend's side, squeezing him tight against his chest and Nejire just smiled softly at the interaction. Her eyes flickered to Naruto and the blonde blinked when the girl twirled her around.

"So who are you planning to intern with?" Nejire demanded. The girl bounced in her spot and pulled Naruto's whiskered cheeks, causing the blonde to blink. "Can I guess? Did you choose to intern with me? Or maybe with Tamaki? Tamaki says that almost all the heroes in the top 10 wanted you, so maybe Edgeshot? Or even Uzushiokage?"

The words tumbled out of Nejire's mouth and spun around Naruto's head almost like a rope that seemed ready to pull her towards the girl. Naruto just blinked and blinked until her brain finally processed what had been said by her senior. The blonde stumbled slightly and she took a deep breath. "Hawks. I chose to intern with Hawks."

The words died down from Nejire's lips and all three of her seniors just blinked at her. Togata and Nejire glanced at each other, eyebrows knitted together before darting their eyes to Amajiki as if they hoped that he could explain why she chose Hawks. Naruto just scratched her neck and offered them a smile before darting her eyes everywhere.

Blue eyes widened when she felt a humming sensation coming from one of the trees. A warm humming sensation that Naruto hadn't felt in years; a sensation that she only felt in Konoha. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and walked straight to the tree that seemed to be over looming the gates of Yuuei High. _I can feel chakra coming from there._ She stopped right in front of the tree.

Naruto looked up but only to blink when she saw the brown trunk of the tree and the lush green leaves of the tree. _Was it my imagination again?_ For the past couple of days, all she could feel was a chakra presence that seemed to be so familiar to her. A presence that was nothing like Jiraiya but Naruto couldn't pinpoint where she felt it before.

"Why are you looking up at that tree?" Naruto twisted her head around and blinked at the sight of Amajiki standing right beside her. He flickered his eyes from her to the branches of the tree. He curled his lips into a frown and darted his eyes towards her.

_It was just my imagination._

She shook her head as the tree branch rustled slightly and a gentle breeze tickled her cheek. Naruto shook her head and let out a small laugh. _It is just the wind._ She looked up at the tree again, her blue eyes fixated at the branches on the tree. There really seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary when it came to the trees.

"Oi Whiskers, there you are!"

Blond eyebrows twitched and a forced smile played on Naruto's lips as Bakugou stomped up to her. His red eyes flashed with irritation as if he wanted to be anywhere but near her. _If he doesn't want to be near me then he can go._ Amajiki-senpai blinked and flickered his eyes to her, only a single eyebrow raised at her. "The asshole with the constant scowl on his face is Bakugou. You can call him Blasty."

"I-Is he always so—"

"Loud?" Amajiki nodded and Naruto bobbed her head. Red eyes narrowed at the sight of Amajiki and a bigger scowl played on his lips, almost as if he disliked the boy right beside her. She shook her head and forced herself to smile at her fellow blonde, who had his hands shoved against his pockets.

"What the hell do you want, Blasty?"

Bakugou's eyebrows twitched at her nickname and Amajiki sweated, inching away from the two first-year students that were now glaring daggers at each other. Bakugou sneered and looked up at the sky, his red eyes focused on the trees in front of them. "You are walking back home with me."

She blinked and blinked before jerking her head at her classmate. A scowl played on his lips and he reached out to her, only for Amajiki to grab hold of him. Indigo eyes flashed with irritation and Naruto could only blink, taken aback by the fact that her senior had stopped trembling and grabbed hold of her classmate. "You shouldn't talk to her like that. Don't you have any manners?"

Bakugou yanked his arms away and sneered at the boy. "I don't give a shit, Elf Ears."

"E-Elf Ears?" Amajiki stuttered. He blinked and stared at the red eyes of Bakugou, who yanked his hand away from the senior. Naruto narrowed her eyes at Bakugou and darted her eyes to Nejire, who now stood a couple of meters away from them. The older girl puffed her cheeks and started to stomp her way there, only for Togata-senpai to grab hold of her hand and yanking her back.

"You shouldn't call him that!" She snapped. "And I don't need to walk back home with you."

The blond-haired boy rolled his eyes. "You will make the train ride home less boring."

Naruto raised her eyebrows at Bakugou and the boy grunted, looking away from her. If that was his concern then he would have started taking the train ride back with her from the second day of school. She knitted her eyebrows and flickered her eyes everywhere, only to blink when she recalled that Bakugou sat right in front of Mineta and across Kaminari.

_Did he hear those two planning something?_

"Are you trying to protect me from Kaminari and Mineta?"

Bakugou choked and his cheeks flushed a light shade of red as he swirled his head at her. "Don't jump to conclusions, Whiskers. I have no desire to act like your protector from those two idiots!"

Amajiki blinked and swirled his head at her. "W-What the hell is happening?"

_No way in hell am I going to admit that I confessed to knowing an infamous author._ Naruto bowed her head down and rubbed the back of her neck as her mind tried to come up with a better excuse of why two boys might just decide to stalk her. Bakugou sneered and looked at her, red eyes telling her that it was her fault for putting herself in this position.

"Why the hell is Explosive Head so pissed off?" All five teens turned around and blinked at the sight of Setsuna and Kendou walking straight towards them. Right behind those two were their other female classmates, who Naruto could recognize their faces but forget their names. Bakugou immediately sneered at Setsuna and the green-haired girl rolled her eyes.

Togata and Nejire flickered their eyes between those two.

"It's none of your business, Lizard." Bakugou snapped. Kendou pinched her nose while Togata and Nejire looked at Bakugou with eyes filled with horror. Naruto just sighed as the green-haired girl rolled her eyes, not looking one bit bothered by the nickname bestowed by the boy.

Naruto inhaled. "Mineta tried to sneak a peek on me while I was changing into my costume and Bakugou thinks that Mineta might try again."

"Bastard had some funny ideas from those books," Bakugou grunted.

The blonde swirled her head at her classmate, blue eyes widening at his words and he jerked his head at her. She raised a single eyebrow and Bakugou glared at her, daring her to make a single accusation against him. _It is not an accusation when it sounds like you read Ero-Sennin's book._ Setsuna and Kendou raised their eyebrow and Naruto rubbed the back of her neck.

Setsuna pressed her lips into a thin line, green eyes focused on the scowling Bakugou and the avoiding eyes of her fellow female. She bobbed her head and rubbed her chin as a light bulb went off above her head. "Have you decided on who to intern with, Uzumaki?"

Naruto was grateful for the change in subject.

* * *

"Walk behind me!"

Naruto rolled her eyes and gave the middle finger to Bakugou, who scowled at her. _If Mineta or Kaminari even had any plans to stalk me for Jiraiya then I would send them to the hospital._ The pedestrians turned their heads to look at them, not looking impressed with either of them. If they knew how much of a pain in the neck Bakugou could be towards her.

"I don't need you to act like my babysitter or even my bodyguard!" She snapped at him. Naruto clenched her hands into a tight fist as the wind picked up, blowing her ponytail in the other direction. The hairs in her arms stood up and bumps began to form around her arms. She darted her eyes and swirled her head backwards, only to frown when she saw no one.

Bakugou grunted and rolled his eyes. "You were stupid enough to make corrections in class."

_How the hell was I supposed to know that Ashido was going to question me?_ Naruto inhaled and exhaled as she tried to calm down her growing temper. A part of her felt like slamming him against the wall but she couldn't hurt him. His mother might just kill her if she decided to send her only son to the hospital.

"It was Mineta's fault."

Her fellow blonde squinted his eyes at her and snorted. "It is also the Icy Hot Bastard's fault for getting you caught."

Naruto jerked her head at him and spluttered at the accusation. How the hell was it Todoroki's fault? He didn't even say anything to give it away. She stopped him from making any comment about the sequel to her teacher's classmate gazed into her blue eyes, his lips curled into a very tight sneer and those red eyes looked at her like she was the biggest dummy in the world.

"Why the hell are you giving me that look? I ain't stupid!" She snarled.

Bakugou grunted. "No but you are apparently blind! Icy-Hot bastard got embarrassed as soon as he read just a single line from that perverted notebook! He even had a nosebleed from whatever shitty sentence that you wrote. How the fuck could you not recognize it? You had your hand around his face!"

Naruto blinked and looked down at her shoes, her bangs covering her eyes as her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. She did feel a liquid coming out of his nose, but her concern had been more towards the fact that he might spilled her secret to their whole class. If that book had been confiscated then Ero-Sennin would throttle her because it was apparently his _next best-seller._

She longed for Jiraiya to go back to writing books that were similar to Gutsy Ninja.

"Of course you didn't recognize it," Bakugou snorted. "You were probably too busy making those eyes!"

She knitted her eyebrows at him and the boy blinked, snorting at her as if he believed that she was the biggest idiot in the world. What eyes? What kind of eyes did she make towards Todoroki? Naruto presumed that she looked at him like how she looked at Midoriya, Amajiki-senpai, Uraraka and even the others. Bakugou grunted and shook his head at her, muttering something under his breath about wasting his time with an idiot.

_I will find some paint bombs and I will ask Ero-Sennin to teach me the storage seal._

"Did you choose Hawks because you found him hot?" Naruto jerked her head and spluttered at the accusation. She raised her eyebrow at Bakugou, who looked straight at her apartment complex and then towards her. What does appearance have to do with anything? She had never went to someone just because they looked attractive to her.

"Why the hell do you think that I will go to him because of how he looks? If I cared about appearances than I would have gone for someone else!" She snapped. Bakugou grunted and shoved his hands into his pockets, red eyes glaring at anyone that seemed to be looking at them.

"Bird Man has a lot of fangirls and for all I know you might be like them!" Bakugou declared. _If I was a fangirl then I will never be able to focus in my work! I wouldn't be here!_ Naruto grinded her teeth and looked out at her apartment complex, blue eyes focused on the smiling kids that waved their hand at her. She smiled at them, blue eyes softening at the sight of them.

Naruto grinded her teeth together. "I hate fangirls. They are pieces of shit."

"They can be annoying as fuck." Bakugou agreed. Naruto blinked and jerked her head at him, blue eyes widening and he blinked his eyes at her. Did they just agree on something? He grunted and looked away, his hands rubbing the back of his neck. _I thought he always took advantages of all those brave girl that confessed to him._ Yet it seemed like Sasuke, her classmate did not care one bit about them.

He was just too focused on being number one.

She shook her head and stared at Bakugou, blue eyes fixated on his blond hair and the girl nibbled her lips as a thought came to her mind. "Oi Bakugou, why don't you ever call me by my first name or even my last name? Why the hell do you always call me Whiskers?"

He grunted and looked down at her, his red eyes focused on her bright blue eyes and then it shifted upwards to her blond hair. No emotion seemed to shine through his eyes and it made Naruto squirm a little because her classmate had always been the furious type. She could only count the number of times that Bakugou was calm with her fingers, because calm and rational weren't words associated with her classmate.

"Because you are beneath me," he declared hotly.

_And here I was thinking that it might be a deep and meaningful reason._ Naruto grinded her teeth together and clenched her hands into a fist, blue eyes blazing with irritation and Bakugou gave her a smirk as if he was pleased to push her buttons. "I beat you in the Sports Festival!"

Bakugou dug his finger against his ear and snorted. "It was a damn fluke!"

"Fluke my ass!" She yelled. "You had no chance against me!"

Her classmate snorted and smirked, looking almost pleased at the fact that she was yelling at him. _The bastard had no way of defeating me! Hell I didn't even use the Rasengan against him! He was pissed off because I went easy on him!_ She grinded her teeth together as her mind tried to come up with a reason for his strange behaviour.

"Naruto!"

The two teens stopped and clicked their heels together. They twisted their bodies around and Naruto blinked, eyebrows raised when she caught sight of her mentor carrying a couple of groceries and snacks. Bakugou flickered his eyes between her and Jiraiya, who stopped and froze at the sight of her classmate.

_I guess it is because Bakugou looks a lot like the 4__th__ Hokage._ She cleared her throat and her mentor laughed, shifting his eyes from the blond-haired boy to the tree right behind them. Naruto darted her eyes to the tree, only to frown when she saw no one was there. A sinking feeling filled her stomach and then the girl furiously shook her head.

Bakugou grunted and shifted backwards. "Who the hell is the pervert?"

Naruto blinked and let out a loud laugh while Jiraiya grunted at the accurate description that her classmate used. She folded her arms against her chest, lips curled into a bright smile and she leaned her head towards his side. "That's my guardian, Jiraiya. Jiraiya meet Explosive Head."

Bakugou looked at her guardian up and down, red eyes fixated at the smiling man that seemed to be preparing for his usual introduction. He grunted and shook his head, lips curled into a deep scowl and Naruto wondered what creative insults her classmate might just use. "Your books are absolute crap!"

Jiraiya gawked at him. "I doubt that you read them! Naruto must have put you up to this! Only a true man—"

The blond-haired boy raised a single eyebrow and began listing out every plot hole that Naruto had tried so hard to convince her mentor to change. Jiraiya could only blink and blink as the boy continued to list out reasons why the book was crap. A single eyebrow twitched and Naruto let out a booming laugh, her lips stretched so hard and the two males looked at her.

"I told you so!" She told Jiraiya as soon as Bakugou was done listing it out to him. "I don't need to be a man to understand it!"

Bakugou grunted. "I don't understand why so many men liked it! Even my own father likes that crappy stuff!"

"He has respect for art!" Jiraiya declared.

Both teens just wrinkled their noses and scowled at him. Jiraiya blinked and blinked before shaking his head, dark eyes looking almost faintly amused. He stared up at the bright blue sky, looking at it as if he was remembering something funny.

It never escaped Naruto's notice that her mentor looked at both her and Bakugou like they were ghosts and she wondered who she reminded her mentor of.

* * *

"I know you have a girlfriend, Natsuo! Tell me who it is!"

His sister's voice echoed throughout the corridor of the hallway of their house and Shouto paused, dropping his shoes onto the ground. He chewed on his bottom lip and shifted his bag to sit properly on his shoulder, mismatch eyes focused on the blank walls of his house. _Just a few more years._ As soon as he was eighteen, he was out of this house.

His siblings only talked like this whenever Endeavour was never at home.

Shouto shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets, shuffling his feet towards the living room. His lips almost curled when he saw Fuyumi reaching for his brother's phone, only to pout when Natsuo holds his phone out of her reach. His cheeks seemed to be puffed, hinting that he might either be annoyed or enjoying the fact that Fuyumi couldn't reach his phone. "I ain't telling you."

"Come on!" Fuyumi pouted.

His older brother shook his head. "It's new!"

Shouto cleared his throat and Fuyumi laughed, withdrawing her hands away from their brother. Natsuo grinned and shot him a grateful look before pocketing his phone back into his pocket. Grey eyes narrowed and a smile played on her lips as if his sister was making plans on figuring out who might be his new girlfriend. _I don't understand why she wants to know. He will tell her when he is ready._

Natsuo could never keep his relationships a secret.

"How was school, Shouto?" Fuyumi asked, flashing him a smile. Shouto blinked and opened his mouth, only to flush red when a couple of words flashed before his eyes. _Do women actually say those things?_ His sister gawked and grey eyes stared at him with horror while his brother just blinked, leaning his head backwards as if taken back by something.

"G-Good." He cleared his throat.

Natsuo smiled and hummed. "Did a girl confess their feelings to you?"

Shouto knitted his eyebrows and shook his head, causing both siblings to blink at him. Why would someone confess to him? They probably wanted to get to know his father because there was nothing about him that might be considered attractive. _Pretty Boy._ He still could not comprehend why Uzumaki thought he was a Pretty Boy.

The burnt mark on his face was ugly.

The dual-toned boy shook his head and looked at his siblings. _The great Jiraiya._ That was the title that Kaminari and Mineta gave to Uzumaki's guardian but Shouto could not understand what was so great about the books. It was the second time that he caught Uzumaki correcting the novel and Shouto did not understand a single thing about the book.

"Natsuo, do you read the Icha-Icha series?"

Silence hung between the three of them as his siblings processed what he had just asked of his brother. Fuyumi blinked and blinked, swirling her head to their white-haired sibling with narrowed eyes. His older brother flushed red, avoiding the suspicious eyes of their older sister dared him to admit the answer.

The white-haired man gulped. "Fuyumi-neechan, can you give Shouto and me some privacy? I don't feel comfortable answering his question when you are glaring at me."

Fuyumi wrinkled her nose and accepted their brother's request. His sister put the watching you motion to Natsuo and his brother slumped his shoulders, letting out a sigh of relief when the woman dashed out of the living room. The two of them watched her fading form and Natsuo shook his head.

"She is going to check my room, isn't she?" Shouto finally asked once his sister footsteps could not be heard anymore. His brother nodded, looking faintly amused at the question and the dual-toned boy shrugged. He didn't have those books so Fuyumi couldn't throw something that he doesn't have.

"I can't believe that you read the Icha-Icha book series!" Natsuo declared, letting out a loud laugh. Shouto flushed red and rubbed the back of his neck as the words kept flashing before his eyes. _How can Naruto correct it without blushing?_ He inhaled and exhaled as his left side started to heat up.

"I only read a couple of lines of the book." Shouto rubbed his nose and looked down at his hands, where his palm seemed to be stained with his blood. Every time he recalled the lines stated and the actions of those books, his nose seemed to decide that it would be the perfect time to bleed. It never happened before.

His brother looked at him. "So if you only read a couple of lines—"

"Do girls actually say those things?"

Natsuo flushed a bright shade of red and he stood up from the couch. The man strolled towards the door, looking across the hallway and he closed the door properly. His brother sunk on the couch and put his hands on the face. His brother took a deep breath and furiously shook his head. "From the girls that I have been with? No and never ever use those cheesy lines!"

Shouto blinked. "Cheesy lines?"

"You will never get a girlfriend with them," Natsuo informed him. He shook his head and looked at him, grey eyes narrowed straight at him. Shouto blinked and his brother leaned forward, grey eyes seemed fixated into his mismatch eyes and the boy rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you even like girls?"

Shouto spluttered and furiously nodded his head, earning a laugh from his brother. Blue eyes flashed before him alongside a small smile and the boy blinked. He tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows, uncertain of why Uzumaki just appeared before his eyes. His brother smiled at him.

The dual-toned boy blinked at him. "What?"

"So any girls caught your attention in school?" His brother asked. Shouto knitted his eyebrows and Natsuo frowned, looking almost troubled at his expression. Natsuo inhaled and exhaled. "Are there any girls that you think is pretty?"

Flushed cheeks flashed before his eyes and Uzumaki's babbles echoed in his ears. The clear picture of Uzumaki wearing a cheerleader outfit also played in front of him. Another image of Uzumaki smiling at him and his cheeks flushed a bright shade of red when he remembered the hug shared between them. His brother smiled widely at him.

"Uzumaki."

Natsuo laughed. "I guess that would be your answer."

That was the only person that stood out in his mind and a couple of weeks later, Shouto understood the reason why his brother didn't seem surprised by his answer.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of Naruto and Bakugou's relationship? What do you think of the pace so far?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_My existence will never be extinguished."_

Naruto grinded her teeth together and forced herself to crawl towards the boy that pushed her to her limit. Even though they fought for a good twenty minutes, it was only after a good pummel to Gaara's face that she could beat him. She paused, blue eyes widening as she took in what he had just said and the desperation in his voice.

Despite what both Sakura and Sasuke believed, Naruto was anything but stupid. The fear and desperation coming from Gaara wasn't because of the fact that he was afraid he could die. It was the fact that she had been able to defeat him, destroying whatever perception he had about himself. She smiled bitterly. No, her beating him meant that he thinks his existence had no meaning.

She knew that feeling all too well.

_We don't give money to beggars._

Tears burned through her eyes as her fingers dug through the soil, pushing herself forward. No one gave her money because of the monster inside of her. Those cold eyes looked at her, always making her wonder if she was even human to the villagers. _Do I even exist?_ It was a question that haunted her even when she got that headband from Iruka-sensei.

She chose pranks to prove her existence, to leave her mark in this village and she understands now that Gaara chose murder and chaos. _I can't blame him._ If people believed that he was a monster then why not become the very thing they thought he was? She sucked in a deep breath as her heart throbbed from those terrible days.

_A monster._

The soil clung to her nails as if to remind her that she was _twelve now, not five._ Blue eyes locked onto the terrified boy right in front of her and a part of her felt her throat dried up. _Naruto? What a pretty name for a pretty girl._ Mikoto had been the second person to acknowledge her, reminding her that she was a girl. Not a monster.

Did Gaara have that?

_Why won't anyone look at me?_ Naruto wondered if hat question keeps haunting him. _Am I a monster? Or am I human?_ Even now as she crawls to him, she asks herself this question because she doesn't know any more. She doesn't know because no matter how hard she tries to be good, no one really seems to acknowledge it. No one ever looks at her and tells her from the bottom of their heart that they don't think she was a monster.

_To them, I'm simply a relic of the past that they want to get rid of. Why am I alive? Why do I even exist?_

She narrowed her eyes and doesn't even cry out when her head slams down to the ground. Her blue eyes closed and a pair of sad eyes appears right before her. Oh, it was Haku. She remembers him so well because he understood her pain so well. Naruto looks up to the blue sky and the floating clouds as Haku's voice echoed in her ear along with his sad smile.

_I realize that the most painful feeling is the realization that no one wanted your existence in this world._

Her throat burns when Gaara looks at her with fear in his eyes. She remembers how much those words resonate with her and she realizes that those piercing words also applied to this terrified boy right in front of her. The world around her becomes blurry and she thinks that she only had a couple of more minutes before she will pass out.

Maybe she was trying to be a hero or maybe she just wants to make a change in the world. She thinks that if it was the loneliness that destroyed Gaara then she wants him to know that there was another way to live. Gaara was terrible but he was like her. No one saved him but Naruto wants to save him.

She wants to help him even if he was her enemy.

"_You know what is the most painful thing in the world? It is the pain of being ignored,"_ Gaara stopped screaming and he looked at her with wide eyes. He parted his lips and her eyes began to tear up. "_It is the pain of being lonely and I understand that pain so well."_

Blood dribbled down her mouth and sweat clung to her skin as her blue eyes locked onto him. She still feels loneliness but it wasn't bad like when she was four. Hinata-chan, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei and hell even Sakura made that empty feeling inside of her fade away. But she doesn't want to tell him that she still feels lonely because it won't help him.

"_I have been kicked around and I have been called a monster,"_ Teal eyes widened and Naruto inhaled, feeling her ribs stretched out. "_But I have people that are important to me now…who don't think I'm terrible. For those people, I won't let you hurt them."_

She thinks of Hinata-chan and the laughter shared between them. The teasing she would give to Hinata-chan whenever she looks at Kiba. She thinks of Sakura and how the girl will explain the concept of puberty to her. She thinks of how Sakura asks her on how to deal with Sasuke. She thinks of Sasuke and how he will train with her, always telling her that she was just a little bit slower than him.

Blue eyes narrowed.

"_If you even think of killing them then I will stop you!"_ She screamed out those words to him. Naruto has never killed anyone before but she will do it for them. Teal eyes looked at her like she was insane and maybe she was insane. This village hurt her, made her question her existence but she loves this village in a way.

"_Why would you go so far for other people's sake?"_

A laugh almost escapes from her lips because Naruto doesn't know which truth to give him. Maybe she wants to show these villagers that she was a hero like the Fourth Hokage claimed she was. Maybe she would go this far because saving people was a better way to prove her existence then killing so many people. But Naruto doesn't think that it was the right answer.

"_They eased this painful feeling inside of me,"_ she admits. "_I used to think that I was a ghost but then I found someone that acknowledge my existence. When that happened, they became important to me. I want to become stronger to save them…to protect them."_

She waited for Gaara to scoff at her and to tell her that she was foolish. He just looks at her with wide eyes and she sees the subtle change in his eyes. She feels her body trembling and hope stirs inside of her because maybe she did make an impact on him. Naruto blinks when Sasuke kneels down, black eyes shining with concern at the blood coming out of her mouth.

"_Stop moving! And stop talking!"_ He grumbled, grabbing her arm. "_Sakura is fine now! So worry about yourself!"_

Well that was good because even if sometimes Sakura can act real mean to her, Naruto doesn't want to see her dead.

* * *

(_A month later_)

"So many kids are going missing now."

Naruto looked up from her doodle and stared at Uraraka, who flipped through the newspaper. The smiling face of a little boy was plastered on the front page alongside the crying faces of his parents, who seemed to be begging for anyone with information to come forward. Those images had been happening a lot for the last few days with poster of missing children plastered on the walls of shops and cafes.

Most of the children that seem to be missing were young children. Why would someone take such young children? Why rip them away from their families? From their missing posters, Naruto understands that most of these kids were just kids going to their nursery. They didn't have many things in common except for their ages.

"That is the third case this week, right?" Kaminari asked, twisting his head away from Jirou to look at Uraraka. He rubbed his chin and frowned when the brown-haired girl nodded, brown eyes still locked on the headlines of this morning's newspaper.

Ashido frowned. "Third case? I thought that this was the first case!"

"From what my parents have been reading in the newspaper, a lot of little kids had been going missing for the last two weeks," Kaminari pulled out his phone and showed them some of the headlines from one of the smaller newspaper. "It seems like on their way to school, these kids would be snatched away. Their phones would be toss aside and the cameras will show nothing."

Naruto frowned and eyed the headlines on Kaminari's phone as a nagging feeling set on her. How could cameras show nothing? She could understand their phones being tossed away because of GPS but how couldn't a camera spot anything.

Something didn't make sense.

"The cameras can't even pick up anything?" Ashido muttered, nibbling her bottom lip and looking at the headlines with raised eyebrows. Most of the teens sweated at this revelation with the only exception being Bakugou. The oldest boy in the class grunted, jumped off from his seat and stalked to Ochako. Everyone blinked when the boy snatched the newspaper from her hands.

He growled and knitted his eyebrows together as his red eyes jumped through the words frantically as if the newspaper could give him some clue. _I have never seen him like this._ Naruto chewed on her own bottom lip and looked at Izuku, hoping and praying that the boy could offer some explanation for this weird behaviour.

Her friend frowned and slid off from his own seat. He made his way to Bakugou and he leaned over Bakugou's shoulder, his own green eyes skimming through the article. Both teens glanced at each other and Naruto couldn't help but observe how Bakugou seemed to have tightened his grip on the newspaper. Bakugou slammed the newspaper down, causing everyone to jump up.

"What the hell, Bakugou?"

"Don't break Uraraka's table!"

Izuku furiously shook his head and shot a look to Bakugou, who grunted and looked away. The green-haired boy slumped his shoulder, nibbled his bottom lip before straightening his back. His green eyes seemed to be locked onto the newspaper on the table. "Kacchan, do you think that what is happening is the same—"

"Shut the hell up, Deku!" Bakugou snarled, red eyes flashing with rage and irritation at Bakugou. Izuku flinched and hunched his shoulders but did not try to say anything to the boy. His green eyes just shone with understanding as if he knew what exactly was causing Bakugou to become so irritated. Izuku just sighed and walked back to his seat, green eyes fixated on his friend.

Asui chewed on her bottom lip and turned her head around, green eyes fixated on the newspaper on the table. Her green eyes flashed with concern and fear as if she knew exactly what would be the potential problem if no one found those kids soon. Her classmate rubbed her chin. "My little sister's friend went missing a couple of days ago too."

"Is there a pattern of what kids that are going missing?" Satou asked, knitting his eyebrows. Mineta hummed and for the first time since Naruto met her classmate, he didn't seem to be focusing on trying to sneak a peek on any of the girls. Instead he seemed to be scrunching his eyebrows as if he was trying to recall something.

Finally, the boy bobbed his head. "Most of them seem to be younger than six but older than four."

"The age where children discover their Quirks," Asui commented lightly.

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and took out her phone, touching the newspaper app. She knew from what Asui had just said was true but why would someone from this side of the world take children with Quirks? 80% of this part of the world had Quirks so they wouldn't have much use for taking it. If someone took a person with Quirk then they would show up on camera.

There was a missing piece to this mysterious occurrence.

"Do you think maybe the government is taking away kids to train them as soldiers?" Kaminari asked, tilting his head at them. The other students turned to look at him with frowns on their faces and the boy raised his hands as if trying to tell them that it was a joke. "C'mon it is not the most insane theory."

"What you just said would be a plot for a manga," Todoroki deadpanned. The electric-Quirk user hung his shoulders at those words while the other students nodded in agreement. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, blue eyes fixated on the newspaper as a nagging feeling washed over her.

She looked down at her phone again and read through the article again, hoping and praying for another clue about the disappearance of those kids. Just like Kaminari had just said, these kids were children that seemed to have been on their way to school when they went missing. The only thing left behind had been their phones and bags while everything else had disappeared.

DNA tests had been conducted through the database and there had been no links onto who had taken those children.

"Todoroki, has Endeavour talked about what the heroes have been doing to counteract this?" Naruto closed the app and looked at her mismatch friend. Todoroki pressed his lips into a thin line, mismatch eyes locked onto his own phone and she wondered if he would tell her anything.

"He has been working overtime to try and get clues on the whereabouts," he grimaced and stared at her bright blue eyes. Todoroki clasped his hands together and let out a sigh. "But he hasn't found any clues on where those kids disappeared to and he can't pinpoint who took those kids. The fact that the cameras had shown nothing means that this is a hard case for him."

_The cameras had shown nothing_. Naruto knitted her eyebrows together and darted her eyes to the window, where the sound of birds chirping and the bright sunlight seemed to be shining down upon them. What would happen if those kids weren't found on time? What if those kids were found and they end up like her? Her throat burned at the thought.

"What about the other heroes?"

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line. "I will tell you what I know from the newspaper and from Endeavour. I know that heroes like Endeavour and All Might seem to be focusing on finding those kids. Other heroes are more focused on trying to take Stain to custody since they believe that he is a bigger threat."

_How the hell is Stain a bigger threat? Those kids should be more important to them!_ She grinded her teeth together and clenched her hands together as her blood boiled at his words. What if the people that took those kids made their lives hell? What if they were being experimented on? She willed herself not to smash her hand against the table.

"They should focus on getting those children back to their parents! Who gives a shit about Stain!" Todoroki regarded her and Naruto looked away from him as her blood continued to boil at the concerns of the heroes. Yeah, she understood that Stain was a problem for the heroes. He had been injuring and killing heroes left to right but those kids were more important.

What if they felt abandoned by society? That no one gave a shit about them. Naruto doesn't want them to end up like her or Gaara or even Sasuke. She wanted a world where children could walk the streets with a smile on their faces and didn't have to wonder if someone would care about them.

The door to their classroom slid opened and everyone took it as their signal to scramble back into their seats. Aizawa stepped through the door, his black eyes darting everywhere as a small yawn escaped from his lips. All of the members of Class A looked at each other with wide eyes, but dared not to make any comment to him.

The man walked up to the podium and dropped a stack of papers before flickering his eyes at them. His black eyes seemed to linger on Bakugou the most before darting his eyes to the other students. The man hunched his shoulders and cleared his throat. "Before I pass out your overall scores for the mid-semester exams, we will need to talk about your behavior in these internships that are going to start on Monday and what will happen."

Everyone straightened their shoulders and stared at their teacher. Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the newspaper on Uraraka's table, a small frown playing on his lips. He shook his head and clenched his jaws but then the man schooled his expression, not revealing to anyone about the emotions going through his head.

"When you enter your respective internships, you will conduct yourselves in a behavior suiting this school." He informed them, flickering his eyes at them. "This means that you will listen to the orders given to you by your respective charges and that you will not show them any disrespect."

Everyone bobbed their heads.

"Those of you that will be travelling out of the city will have housing provided for you," Aizawa locked eyes on Tokoyami and her before darting to Jirou. "On Monday when everyone starts to head for their internships, All Might and I will accompany those of you travelling by train to your respective cities."

Whispers broke out at the announcement and Aizawa just stared at them with hunched shoulders. He waited till all of the students calm down before continuing on. "These internships are no joke and this is an _opportunity_ to learn more about what type of hero that you want to be. So don't mess it up."

Naruto felt like that last part was directed at her but Aizawa-sensei shouldn't worry about her.

She doesn't want to mess this up.

* * *

"You seem tired, Nejire!"

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and sat down beside her senior, whose eyelids seemed to be dropping every five seconds. The periwrinkle-haired girl opened her mouth to protest and a small yawn escaped from her lips, causing the girl to slump her shoulders at her. The older girl rubbed her eyes. "I was working with Ryuku until a couple of hours ago."

"What were you guys working on?" Nejire frowned and looked at her. Her eyes seemed to waver as if she was almost uncertain about whether or not to tell her. Naruto slumped her shoulders as Itsuka and Setsuna took their seats right beside her. Both of her friends dropped their smiles when they caught sight of the frowns playing on their faces.

"The two of you look like someone just died." Itsuka twisted her head to look at Setsuna with raised eyebrows and the green-haired girl shrugged, not caring one bit about being blunt with the two teens. Naruto was grateful that the green-haired girl could be brutally honest, because it kind of made it hard for her not to doubt the girl and her intentions.

Naruto looked down at her ramen. "I just asked Nejire about what she was working on with Ryuku."

Setsuna and Itsuka frowned and looked at each other before swirling their heads at Nejire, their eyes widening and they tilted their heads at her. Both teens leaned forward and the periwrinkle-haired girl smiled, relaxing her shoulders and Naruto noticed that the smile seemed fake. _Whatever she is about to tell us is really troubling her._ The blonde chewed on her bottom lip.

"We have been trying to find clues on where those missing kids are," Nejire admitted, pushing her chicken cutlets back and forth. She inhaled and exhaled as her eyes seemed fixated on the food. "All of the sidekicks and me have been doing follow up and asking around about those kids while Ryuku searches through the sky for them. Nothing came up."

Itsuka frowned and looked at the slumped girl. "I read about it in the newspaper this morning. The fingerprints can't even be trace back, right?"

"It is like that person doesn't exist," Nejire confirmed, darting her eyes everywhere. _Like that person doesn't exist._ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip as a nagging feeling washed over her. It was practically impossible for there to be fingerprints and not find the person that have been taking these kids. _No fingerprints and no appearance of someone taking those kids._ Why does she feel like she should know the signs?

It felt like she had the answers but did not have a clear picture of what was happening.

Naruto furiously shook her head and looked at her friend, who seemed to be hunching her shoulders and looking at her food like it was the most disgusting thing. The blonde forced herself to smile even though a part of her felt like frowning alongside her friend. She inhaled and exhaled as her mind tried to come up with something to tell her.

"You are going to find her Nejire, believe it!" Nejire blinked and looked up at her. Her eyes softened at the sight of Naruto's smile and the blonde blinked when her friend hugged her, squeezing the girl until Naruto felt like there was no air in her lungs. The blonde rubbed circles around her friend's back, blue eyes closed as her mind tried to think of a reasonable explanation for the events happening right now.

"Thank you, Naru-chan."

Naruto froze at the mention of that nickname and her throat tightened as the voices of those mean children echoed in her ear. _Only Granny, Mikoto-obaachan and Third Hokage can call me this!_ It was a childish voice chanting in her ear but Naruto shoved the voice into the dark corners of her mind. As much as she wanted to yell and tell Nejire that she shouldn't call her this, her friend doesn't deserve this shit now.

Maybe if Nejire call her this then maybe Naruto could associate Naru-chan as something else. Maybe Naru-chan didn't need to be that weak girl who constantly cried, who constantly wished that someone could save her.

"I just hope that we can find those kids soon!" Nejire declared, unwrapping herself from Naruto. She smiled widely and her eyes twinkled with renewed hope. The older girl puffed her cheeks. "Ryuku didn't let me skip school to help and Tamaki and Mirio had permission from their respective heroes to do it! I wanna be of help! I hate not being able to do anything."

Itsuka and Setsuna looked down at their own hands and Naruto looked out to the window, blue eyes focused on the green leaves of her tree. _Useless. You couldn't bring him back! Why didn't you bring him back? _Her head throbbed as the memory of three years ago washed over her. She inhaled and exhaled as her body began to tremble from the memory.

_Useless._

Naruto understood how her senior felt.

A tray of food smashed into the table and Naruto looked up, blue eyes widening as Bakugou grunted and take a seat right beside Setsuna. The green-haired girl flickered her eyes between the two of them, lips curling into an amused smile and Naruto knew that she was probably going have to clear things between them. Todoroki slid into the seat right beside her and Izuku took a seat right beside Bakugou.

Uraraka and Iida followed suit.

"Whiskers and Bouncy look like shit," Bakugou declared, flickering his eyes to Setsuna. The green-haired girl hummed and took a bite of her meal, green eyes focused on Naruto and Nejire before darting her eyes back to the blond-haired boy. He scowled but his red eyes flashed with concern and Setsuna sighed.

"Don't you know a better way to show concern, Explosive Head?" She asked him as Naruto jerked her head at Bakugou. Todoroki bobbed his head while Izuku just blinked at the girl. Uraraka knitted her eyebrows, looking almost taken aback that the green-haired girl seemed to have been able to read his voice.

He scowled. "Don't put words in my mouth, Lizard."

"I ain't putting words if it isn't true," she argued back. "And to answer your question, they are upset because of those kidnapped kids. Hadou-senpai have been helping the heroes find those kids."

Silence hung between the group of students as they processed what had been said. Bakugou dropped his scowl and locked eyes on the two females while Izuku clenched and unclenched his hands. The green-haired boy shook his head, straightened his back and looked at the two girls. "You know the case that everyone is talking about is similar to the case of Kacchan's uncle."

Everyone blinked and blinked before swirling their heads at the blond-haired boy. Bakugou twisted his head and looked at Izuku, blond eyebrows twitching and red eyes flared with irritation. Izuku steadied his arm and glared back at his childhood friend, causing Naruto to blink and lean back. _I didn't think he was capable of doing that._ She kind of liked the change because it meant that Izuku was trying to make himself his equal.

Equals were better than enemies.

Nejire perked up at this information and looked at Bakugou with bright, hopeful eyes. "Did they ever find him? How is it similar? Did your family ever had any leads?"

Bakugou pressed his lips into a thin line and looked down at his food. No emotions shone through his eyes and the blond-haired teen looked out to the window before looking back at Nejire. _He really looks like a normal person when he doesn't scream._ It should be a relief that Bakugou was not acting childish but it made Naruto's stomach turned.

"They never found him," Bakugou informed them with a small scowl. "And the whole situation is different from what happened to my shitty uncle, Deku! My Gran thinks that it is my uncle's father was the one that took him away since they had been arguing over custody over him!"

Izuku frowned. "Yeah but your grandmother couldn't prove it! It is the only case that All Might had never been able to solve!"

Todoroki frowned and looked up from his soba noodles. His mismatch eyes stared deeply into the two teens, who stared back at him, and Todoroki tilted his head at them. "But why did your grandmother think it was your uncle's father? Wasn't there also a possibility that he was taken by the Quirk Rings?"

"Because that man was Quirkless," Bakugou replied with a scowl playing on his lips. He hunched his shoulders and looked out to the window, where birds chirped their songs and the laughter of the students bounced off the walls. "A Quirkless kid is useless for a Quirk Ring. These kids seem to have Quirks, which is why they have more media coverage. It wasn't until All Might took on the case that the whole of Japan found out about my uncle's disappearance."

_Those kids seem to have Quirks._

Naruto doesn't know why this stood out to her. Maybe because as a Kunoichi, she knew that Kekkei Genkei were important to a village. Maybe if she was in Konoha then she would accuse Kumo because Kumo tried to pull a stunt in their village. They tried to take away Hinata-chan because of her Byakugan. She grinded her teeth.

It was because of that incident that Hinata-chan kept being bullied by her clansmember.

_But this isn't possible here._

Bakugou rubbed his arm. "Those kids being taken away are more likely to be going to the Quirk Rings than my uncle!"

Nejire chewed on her lips and shook her head. "With Quirk Rings, it is possible to find traces and hack into websites that are selling those kids. From what I know from Ryuku and Mirio, Sir Nighteye tried to go through that method and he found nothing. There just doesn't seem to be a pattern that they can use to trace the culprit of these kidnappings."

Naruto frowned and she clenched her hands into a fist as she come to a decision. She knew that everything had a pattern and when she begins her internship, Naruto was going to figure out the pattern and bring those kids back home. She did not want to see a child go through hardship or to live with a fear that no one seemed to care about them.

* * *

"Whenever Endeavour is annoying the crap out of you, you should send me a message! I will straighten him out for you!"

Naruto flashed Todoroki a smile as the two of them walked out of the gates in the school. Most of their classmates were taking their sweet time in packing their bags and the blonde had no desire for Bakugou to act like a guard dog again. Honestly, she could protect herself. She was a strong woman that was capable of breaking a boulder with her fist so a couple of teenage boys were of no issue to her.

Todoroki quirked his lips. "What? You are going to give him a personal phone call and tell him to stop acting shitty?"

She bobbed her head as her blue eyes locked onto him. Todoroki smiled slightly, looking almost faintly amused at the fact that she was very much willing to give his father a personal scolding. He paused and his eyes locked onto her, staring intently on her whisker cheeks and the blonde flushed red. "What? I'm telling the truth."

"You look cute when you look like that," Naruto spluttered and Todoroki bobbed his head. _I don't know how he can say such things._ There was nothing about her that could be considered cute. She swore like a sailor at times and whenever someone really pissed her off, she went off like a deranged animal. Nothing about those two things were cute.

_Maybe Todoroki should be a drama actor instead. He will make a lot of money from the things that he is saying to me._ She paused and quirked her lips as images of fangirls charging up to a clueless Todoroki about his autograph. Yeah, she could imagine her friend being the type of hero that would have a lot of girls chasing after him. The thought kind of made her tummy feel strange but Naruto pushed it to the side.

She shook her head and lowered her voice. "Jokes aside, are you really sure that you can handle a week of seeing him 24 hours? He is the man that abused you."

"If I want to become a good hero then I should take advantage of him, Uzumaki." Todoroki paused and cleared his throat as his mismatch eyes looked everywhere. "He is a good hero and that is what I'm choosing to focus on. As a father, I want nothing to do with him. I'm just waiting till I'm eighteen so that I can move out from the house."

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and looked at the students that were laughing together. _Till I'm eighteen._ She knew he was unhappy in his home and the thought that it was the knowledge that the law wouldn't allow him to live alone unless his guardian gave permission made her stomach turn. She took a deep breath.

"You know if your house ever becomes unbearable then my door is open," he blinked and Naruto smiled. "What? Ero-Sennin won't mind and it will be nice to have a friend live with me instead of a man that is always one-sigh away from being pummeled by a couple of girls."

Todoroki looked at her and raised his eyebrow. "Uzumaki, as much as I like the offer…I think your guardian might not accept the idea of a boy and a girl living together even if they are friends."

_Yeah, I have a feeling that Ero-Sennin might kill you but I can try._ Todoroki gazed down at her and Naruto flashed him a small smile, causing him to blink. She frowned when the boy turned his head away, cheeks growing slightly pink and she wondered what could be the cause of his blush.

She opened her mouth to question him, only to close it when she caught sight of a familiar shade of red hair standing before the gates. Naruto halted as the world around her seemed to froze. No, why was he here? Why were they here? She thought no one from the Hidden Villages would come here.

Naruto always hoped that they would dismiss the Sports Festival as some silly TV show.

"Uzumaki, do you know him?"

Naruto felt her legs trembled as a sinking realization dawned upon her. Stupid. It was always stupid of her to think that Gaara would think of the Sports Festival as nothing but a TV show. It was foolish of her to believe that maybe someone would be smart enough to realize that Japan was real. A sense of dread filled her and Todoroki looked from her to Gaara, mismatch eyes narrowing at him.

"Yeah, he is a friend." Todoroki blinked and Naruto looked at Gaara. The teal-eyed boy looked at Todoroki, his eyes focused on the way that her friend seemed to be steadying her. Her friend blinked and looked down at his hands, uncertain of what was the big deal of him holding her. "He is a dear friend to me."

She doesn't understand too.

"Why are you here, Gaara?" She tried to keep her voice calm as several thoughts occurred to her. The two of them were friends even though their friendship had a strange beginning, but Gaara was to be Kazekage. He was a jinchuuriki just like her and his movements were as restricted as her movements.

She knew that something was up.

Gaara regarded them and his teal eyes seemed fixated on the way that Todoroki seemed to be holding her hand. He cleared his throat and Todoroki released his grip on her. "We need to have a talk, Naruto."

_A talk_.

Dread pooled into her stomach because even though those teal eyes seemed stoic, Naruto could feel the concern rolling off of him. She knew from the way that Gaara kept darting his eyes everywhere and the fact that she could sense his siblings off in the side that this was no catching up. She knew that this was not going to be a good talk.

She just hope that maybe her suspicions were off.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the friendship between Nejire and Naruto? Are there any other pairings that you would like to see in this book? What do you think of the character's development compared to the original series? I will admit that this was one of the reasons I decided to redo the whole series, so I can explore the consequence of Naruto's actions in the original series. Some helpful constructive criticism is appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_Mizuki used you because he wants the forbidden scroll for himself!"_

The words of her teacher rang throughout the forest and Naruto could only tremble as Mizuki looked down at her with such cold eyes. A part of her felt like she should have known this because Mizuki-sensei had always been the one to kick her out of class for even just doodling on her notebook. It should have been obvious that this was a trap in the making.

_But I wanted to be a genin with Hinata-chan._ Naruto looked up at Mizuki and clenched her hands into a fist. The only thing that ever mattered to her was making genin with Hinata-chan and celebrating her achievement with her best friend. She studied so hard for the written papers, forgoing her rule of studying because she wanted to celebrate with Hinata-chan.

In her desperation and desire to celebrate with Hinata-chan, Naruto never stopped to question her teacher about whether the retake test was real. _I keep saying that I'm not an idiot but I'm the biggest idiot in the whole world._ Her throat burned and tears almost leaked out of her eyes but Naruto blinked it back.

"_Naruto, even if you have read the forbidden scroll, it will mean nothing to you without understanding!"_ Mizuki crouched down on the tree branch and smirked at her while Iruka-sensei sweated at those words. "_I can show you what that scroll really means."_

Iruka swirled his head up and grinded his teeth together. "_Shut up!"_

Mizuki smiled down upon her and Naruto stared up at him with blue eyes that held no emotions. What did he mean by showing her what it means? Why would he make her do this? _For once since she met him, she trusted his words and did what he said and he repaid her with this._ Naruto grinded her teeth together and looked up at the smiling man.

"_Do you know what really happened in the Kyuubi's attack?"_ Naruto relaxed her jaw and knitted her eyebrows at the man that she once trusted. Mizuki smiled like a cat while Iruka struggled to get himself off from the shuriken that bound him to the wall._ "Do you want to know that there have been a strict law that the Hokage had placed on everyone since the incident with the Kyuubi?"_

Naruto sweated and shook her head. "_I don't remember any law._"

Mizuki scoffed and looked at her with cold eyes. He curled his lips into a smirk as if he was almost pleased to tell her whatever law that the Hokage placed on them. _But why would he be happy to break the law?_ She took in several deep breaths and looked at Mizuki, at the man that betrayed her and put her in this situation. "_Start talking! Why don't I know about this law?"_

"_Well of course you wouldn't know about this law,"_ Mizuki shook his head and offered her a smile that made the hairs on her arm stand up. The image of the matron flashed before her and Naruto felt fear bubbling in her stomach. "_The law states that everyone could know about it__**, except you**__!"_

The words hung in the air and it took a while for Naruto to process what was said. Sweat clung to her skin as the blood inside of her boiled at his words. She inhaled and exhaled rapidly, tuning out the crazed screams of Iruka who kept telling her to run away. Why should she listen to Iruka-sensei? He failed her even though her written portion and taijutsu portion of the exam had been better than a lot of people in the class.

She doesn't trust him because _he allowed Neji's teammate to pass even though he failed the ninjutsu portion of the exam!_

"_Why can't I know about it? What was this law? Tell me!"_ Desperation and anger leaked out of her voice as Mizuki looked down upon her with a smile. A laugh came out of Mizuki's mouth, filling the air around them and it felt like the weather around her was getting colder. A part of her felt like she was going to regret asking him this question but she just wanted to know:

Why was it always her that was excluded out by a lot of things?

"_The law was to never tell you that you __**are the Kyuubi**__!"_

Naruto stumbled and just stared at the smirking man. In that moment, all she could do was stare at him with horror as tears leaked out of her eyes. Was this why everyone hate her? Because she was the monster incarnate. Not just any monster but the monster who killed so many people. The monster that ruined the lives of so many people.

_I'm the Kyuubi._

She sunk onto the ground and looked down at her hands. _I killed so many people._ Bile rose to her throat as realization dawned on her that the villagers had every reason to hurt her. She just stared at the smiling man in front of her, body trembling as she tried to imagine just how many people she killed. _I know why the Hokage will never fully love me. Why the teachers hate me._

How many people must she apologize to? Would they even forgive her for her actions?

"_Didn't you think it was strange how they hated you?" _The more and more Mizuki talked, a little bit of herself cracked and fell into the ground. Yes, she did think that it was strange how everyone hated her. Just because she acted like a fool, doesn't mean that she was blind.

_Monster._

Everyone had always hinted that she was a monster but she never believed it. But the fact was that she could believe this and she hated how people kept lying to her. The Hokage lied to her about her origins. _He should have told me that I was never human._ It was never fair for her to be kept in the dark. He should have told her the truth, instead of telling her that he would tell her about her parents when she became a chunin or sixteen.

He should have told her that she was a murderer.

Even when she defeated Mizuki and had a talk with both Iruka-sensei and the Hokage, Naruto still had a small lingering unconscious thought that she was a murderer. That she should always blame herself for anything bad that happened because a part of her would never believe that she was Uzumaki Naruto.

A part of her would always believe that she was the Kyuubi.

Maybe that was why she always blamed herself.

* * *

"Here are your drinks, Uzumaki!"

Naruto flashed a smile as her co-worker slid her drinks and Gaara blinked when her co-worker smiled even wider at him, scribbling something down in her notepad. Kankuro wrinkled his nose, raising an eyebrow at the action while Temari frowned, looking absolutely confused at the fact that someone was looking at Gaara. _I don't know why Temari is surprised, no one knows anything about Gaara._

Kankuro shook his head and eyed the girls in their waitress uniform. His eyes fixated on the slight bounce in the skirt as her co-worker hummed, whizzing towards everyone. "They seem friendly with you, Naruto. Do you come here often?"

"I work here." The three teens blinked at her and Naruto looked at her boss, who seemed to be trying very hard not to look at her. _I have a feeling that she will drill me after I come back to work._ She took a deep breath and looked down at her uniform, grimacing at the realization that she was going to do a meeting in this uniform.

Kankuro rubbed his chin and eyed her uniform before looking straight at the girls' uniform. _I bet he is trying to imagine me in that outfit._ He opened his mouth to say something only for Temari to nudge him as if knowing what exactly her brother was going to say to her. She probably did since sisters should know what goes through their brother's mind and their relationship seemed to be always close.

Naruto inhaled and looked at her hot chocolate before looking at Gaara. "Gaara, why are you guys here? How did you even know where I was?"

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line and picked up the coffee that she ordered for him. He looked down at the drink, inhaling and exhaling before looking at her. His hands held a slight tremble, barely noticeable and locked his eyes on her. Teal eyes flashed with resignation and Naruto felt her stomach turned.

"We had orders to steal anyone that have powerful Kekkei Genkei," Naruto steadied her shaking arms and looked at Gaara with wide eyes. He put down his coffee and nodded, not bothering to try and tell her that this was a joke. It wasn't like Gaara to joke but she could always hope. "I was also ordered to convince you to marry me."

_Marriage?_ If she had been drinking her hot chocolate then she would spit it out at his last order. She cared for Gaara, adored him for being in the same situation but Naruto didn't want to marry him. _It might never happen but I won't marry someone that I don't love. I won't put him through marriage convenience._ She wanted better for them.

"Gaara, first off I adore you and you are my friend but I won't marry you." Kankuro and Temari frowned, flickering their eyes to Gaara and they hunched their shoulders. Gaara nodded, taking a sip of his coffee, and stared deeply into her blue eyes. She rubbed the back of her neck, uncertain about why his eyes seemed to flash with understanding.

Gaara nodded. "I knew it was unlikely but I thought you deserved to know what Suna wanted to do."

"And thank you for being honest," Naruto flashed him a bright smile and her friend smiled back at her. He took another sip of his coffee, ignoring the blinking eyes of his two siblings at their behavior. Temari took a huge gulp of her coffee and swirled her head at Gaara while his brother just chuckled as if realizing why Gaara wasn't reacting to her words. "But now let me ask my second question: how did Suna find out about Japan?"

"How do you think? The Sports Festival," Temari replied and she took a sip of her drink. Her teal eyes flickered to everyone that seemed to be looking everywhere but at them. "The council was in an uproar when they realized that you were there. You made them realize that Japan was real."

_You made them realize Japan was real._ The implication of those words made Naruto tremble. Those words made her stomach turn as various faceless children flashed before her. No, maybe she was wrong. Maybe they weren't the ones that would kidnap children. The Hidden Villages would never do this. This couldn't be her fault.

"And what does that have to do with them ordering you to kidnap children?" She kept her tone as low as possible and Naruto focused her eyes on Gaara. The red-haired boy pressed his lips into a thin line, no emotions flashed through his eyes and a sense of dread crept into her stomach. Something wasn't making sense.

"Naruto, do you know why _we_ are important to the Hidden Villages? Why the Hokage ordered Shikamaru to bring the Uchiha back to Konoha?" Gaara stared deeply into her eyes and Naruto hunched her shoulders. Temari and Kankuro blinked and blinked before swirling their heads at her as if to confirm their brother's words. She sighed and nodded, causing the two of them to knit their eyebrows at her.

Naruto took a couple of deep breaths and looked down at her hands as she tried to gather up her thoughts. "I know what makes us important to the village and I can understand damn well why Suna wants me," she tried to keep the anger from leaking out of her voice. "But kidnapping those kids are a no go! They are innocent! They have no fucking clue about being a shinobi! They can't use chakra!"

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her. "A Kekkei Genkei is still a Kekkei Genkei, Naruto. Suna and the other villages have caused wars because of them. Wars have been won due to them and you ask me why they wish for them? You know as well as we do that children can be taught to become shinobi."

"But they can't use chakra!" She snarled, slamming her palms on the table. The customers turned to them, blinking and jumping out of their seats. Naruto inhaled and exhaled before giving them a tight smile. Gaara took a deep breath, rubbing the sides of his head while Kankuro and Temari looked at each other.

"If they can't use chakra then they can be trained exclusively with taijutsu," Kankuro informed her. "You saw what Lee did to Gaara during the Chunin Preliminary rounds. Chakra isn't necessary if they have a Kekkei Genkei. You put them with a good taijutsu master and teach them how to use a shuriken and kunai then they can be unstoppable."

Naruto closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as she tried to calm down her racing heart. Lee. How could she forget what Lee did to Gaara? The boy could never mould his chakra efficiently, which led him to becoming a very good fist fighter. If Lee had a Kekkei Genkei then he would have been unstoppable against Gaara. The thought made bile rise up to her stomach.

"Then were you the ones that have been kidnapping those children?" Anger coated her voice and Naruto clenched her jaws, blue eyes narrowing at Gaara. If he admitted to her that he had been taking those kids then she would convince him to return those kids. She would even punch him again if it meant that those kids were safe.

"The council ordered us but I refuse to go along with their reckless decision," Gaara informed her. Naruto blinked and blinked as she tried to process what her friend admitted. She looked at him and leaned her body forward, blue eyes boring into his teal eyes. He looked back at her with thin lips, not a single drop of sweat radiated out of him and the blonde relaxed her shoulders.

"Why are you going against the orders of the council? Aren't you afraid that they will take away your chance of becoming Kazekage?" Naruto clenched and unclenched her hands. She doesn't know if Gaara really wanted to become Kazekage but there was no denying that it was a huge honour for him.

Gaara took a sip of his coffee. "Being Kazekage means that I must look after the well-being of the people of my village. In the short-term, taking those kids would boost the economy and help us provide strong shinobi. But it won't suit us in the long-term, not when this country has technology that could potential wipe us away. I won't let Suna go through another war."

"Then who is taking the children?"

Kankuro looked at the chocolate cake and then to her. "It can be any of the Hidden Villages at this point. Your presence just confirmed that Japan was real and there is a landmine of Kekkei Genkei here that can be used for war."

_It can be any of the Hidden Villages at this point._

Bile rose up to her throat at his words.

_Your presences confirmed that Japan was real._

Naruto inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm down her racing heart. So were they telling her that what was currently happening right now was her fault? Was it all because of her speech to Hinata-chan? Because she just wanted to reassure her best friend that she was fine. Her throat burned at the thought and Naruto rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the tears coming out of her eyes.

She shook her head and clenched her hands into a fist, her nails digging into her palm. _I can fix this. _She straightened her back and looked at Gaara. _I have to fix this because I'm not letting those kids become weapons of war._ She looked down at her clenched hands as various faces flashed before her. But only one face stood out to her and that was Eri-chan.

"_Naruto-neechan!"_

No, she had to stop this madness because they might take Eri-chan. Eri had seen enough to last a lifetime and so did those kidnapped kids. Naruto had to get to them before they break from the pressure of being a shinobi, because the other villages had strict regimes. Gaara was proof of it.

"We need to search for them, Gaara." Gaara looked at her and tilted his head while Temari and Kankuro frowned at her. Naruto looked at the cafe around them, blue eyes focused on the smiling customers and their children. "I have only one week to search for these kids with the authority of this world. If we can't find them then we need to inform—"

"We won't inform anyone about this, Naruto."

The whiskered girl narrowed her eyes. "Why not? They are the children of this country! Their parents deserved the right to—"

"If you tell them then we will have a war," Gaara kept his tone low and calm even though his teal eyes narrowed at her. Kankuro and Temari scooted away from Gaara, their eyes focused on the trembling girl. The red-haired boy eyed the various customers that kept coming in and out of the café. "Suna is already paying the price for attempting to invade Konoha. If we can't even pinpoint who is taking the children then millions of innocent people will die."

Naruto grinded her teeth together and wished that she could smash her hand against the glass. Millions of innocent people would die was his argument and the blonde couldn't take the risk of starting a war. _Wars will bring death and I am the root cause of this whole mess._ She hunched her shoulders and looked out at the window.

"You don't know if telling them will risk war!"

Gaara nodded. "Wouldn't it? If someone dared to kidnap a child from Suna then it will only be natural that as Kazekage that I demand Justice. Japan would do the same and what will be the end result? We cannot cause a war, Naruto."

Naruto took a deep breath and winced at the crackling sounds of her ribs. "Then what do you suggest we do, Gaara? I cause this mess and I need to fix it."

"We will handle it privately," Gaara took another sip of his coffee and looked at her with calm eyes. "We cannot afford to act recklessly Naruto. The lives of the Elemental Countries rest on us trying to bring those kids back."

The blonde inhaled and exhaled as her mind wared over what to do. Logic dictate that her friend's words made sense, because telling the government meant that there would be a war on their hands. But what if they could never find them? Then what do they do? And what if the children told the government? No, they had to tell them.

Their parents deserved to know what happened to their children.

"If we don't find the culprits in a week then I will inform the heroes about this," Naruto declared. "Those kids have parents that loves them with all of their heart. Their parents deserve to know the truth and I will need permission from the school to make up for my mistake. I will go to every country in the Elemental Nations, begging them to give back those kids."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Naruto, do you realize what you are saying? The chances of this—"

"If they don't accept then I will find another way to get those kids back to their parents." She forced a smile to play on her lips and locked eyes on the three teens in front of her. "I will do whatever it takes to bring them back home to their parents."

She was probably insane but it was not like she had anything to lose.

* * *

"Have you found any clues on the culprits?"

Kenji took a sip of his soda, hazel eyes locked onto the stiffened back of his eldest son. Their whole family were currently sitting around the dinning table with his two daughters sitting on opposite sides of the table. It had been over two weeks since the incidents had began and none of his clans member had been targeted so far. However, a few of his clans members' friends had a few of their children taken away.

None of those friends were willing to admit what they know, too upset to talk about it.

"The phones had been discarded away," Eisuke rubbed his chin and looked at his own plate of food, lips pressed into a small frown. "Which makes me think that these shinobi have been in this country longer than two weeks before they make their plans."

Kenji pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. He eyed his son, waiting for the brat to continue explaining what else he had found throughout his patrols and investigation. Were there any clues of which villages were kidnapping these children? In the olden days, he would blame Kumo but Kenji doesn't know if that village of snakes changed their ways. Konoha would be a possibility too, considering the Snake Sannin.

Even as a little boy, Kenji shuddered at the sight of that man.

"The security cameras had some genjutsu on them, which affected the readings on the CD but I send it to Chika for analysis." Eisuke admitted. Kenji nodded and looked down at his food. Chika was the only great-grandson of Akira and from what Kenji could recall of the boy was the fact that he was a boy that loved experimenting technology with chakra. "Hopefully, he will be able to send it back in a week."

Hopefully meant that his son had doubts that Chika could crack the genjutsu on the tape without tampering with the tape.

"Since you went to Chika for help then does that mean you are going to ask Naruto for help too?" Kenji regarded his youngest daughter, who straightened her back and looked at him and Eisuke with serious eyes. Kiko looked down at her food before looking back at them, her white teeth nibbling her lips. "She would know better, wouldn't she?"

Eisuke smiled at Kiko and bobbed his head. "Well she will definitely be smarter than me when it comes to figuring out who might be taking these kids away. I just need to wait till her internship to begin before approaching her about this. If I go to her now…well it will bring a lot of suspicion on—"

"Why the hell will you go to her?" The four Uzumaki turned to look at Akane. The red-haired girl grinded her teeth together and slammed her fist against the table, earning a twitching eyebrow from Kenji. His wife pressed her lips into a thin line and folded her arms against her chest, not looking one bit happy about what their daughter just did. "She is the reason for this whole mess!"

Kenji inhaled and exhaled as his temper rose at his daughter's behaviour. His wife placed her hand on top of his palm, rubbing circles as if to remind him that this was not the time and place to get angry. There were two people at fault for this situation and the blame did not just lay on the girl, who won the Sports Festival. The blame also lay on his son for speaking up in that Sports Festival.

"Your brother is also the reason for this mess," he kept his voice calm and tried to stop the tremble in his arm. "That girl have some fault so don't just blame her."

Akane grinded her teeth together. "Eisuke-niisan didn't mean for this happen! That bitch wanted this to happen!"

"Don't go around accusing people, Akane!" Eisuke smashed his hands on the table and glared at his sister. The red-haired girl did not even flinch at the growing rage from the hero, only snorting and looking straight at him. Kumiko stood up, green eyes locked on their second daughter and Kenji pulled his wife down. _If Eisuke ever wants to take my mantle then he needs to straightened her up._ "We don't have the facts!"

"We do!" Akane yelled. "Her stupid speech is proof of it!"

"It wasn't a stupid speech!" Kiko snarled, jumping from her own chair. "She was apologizing to her best friend, which is something you wouldn't know because you don't know how to apologize!"

Akane narrowed her eyes at her sister and grinded her teeth together. "Who the hell is asking you, Kiko? Shouldn't you be playing house with your stupid friends?"

"At least I have friends!" Kiko smiled sweetly at her older sister and Akane grinded her teeth together. "And at least my friends doesn't backstab me like your friends."

Akane picked up a spoon, put it inside the bowl of rice and seemed ready to fling it at the younger girl, but only for a water whip to appear. The whip wrapped itself around the girl's hands, jerking it backwards. Kenji looked at his wife, who stood up from her seat and held onto the water whip that she formed tightly. Green eyes flashed with a quiet rage and the red-haired man was silently glad that he was not on the other end of her rage, this time around.

"You will not fling the food that I prepared for this family," Kumiko declared calmly. "You will also apologize to your sister and brother for your behaviour and you will take back your comments. When your father gave the task to Eisuke then it is up to your brother to decide what actions to take. You will not question your brother's decision."

"But Mum!"

"Don't Mum me!" his wife declared hotly. "If your brother thinks Uzumaki Naruto—"

Akane rolled her eyes and muttered. "I doubt that she is an Uzumaki!"

_I'm done with this bullshit._ Kenji smashed his fist against the table, not caring one bit that the plates crashed to the ground or the fact that there was a large crack on the table. His wife pressed her lips into a thin line, opened her palms and the water whip disappeared. Water smacked the floors and his second daughter gulped, trembling slightly but did not dare to look away from him.

_Where does she get this behaviour from._

"Until the DNA test prove otherwise, Uzumaki Naruto is a member of our clan." Akane grinded her teeth together and Kenji narrowed his eyes at his most temperamental child. He straightened his back and pressed his palms against the table. If it was up to him, he would discipline the girl like how his father discipline him. But Kumiko would disapprove it, telling him that hurting their own child wouldn't fix the problem.

It certainly fix the problem of talking back to him.

"You can accept her all you want, Old Man but I refuse to acknowledge her as a member of our clan!"

Kenji loomed over his daughter and locked eyes on those furious green eyes. "You_ will accept_ her and you will treat her with respect if it comes out that she is a member of this clan. You will acknowledge her because of what I taught you and your siblings and that is the fact we don't abandon our family."

His daughter trembled and grinded her teeth but Kenji did not care one bit about her personal feelings. He was the head of this family. He was the leader of their clan. Just because Akane had proven to be a good seal master, does not mean that she could act like she was the future boss of this clan.

"I decide whether or not to acknowledge her, Akane!" Kenji narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "_It is not up to you to decide!"_

If that girl was Kushina's child then Kenji would treat her with the love that any child of his cousin deserved. If his children had ever end up in Konoha then Kenji would bet his ass that Kushina would have accepted them with open arms.

If that girl was Kushina's child as Akira claimed she was then Kenji would show her the way of the Uzumaki clan and he would accept her with open arms.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter and please tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the interaction between Naruto and Gaara?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_How was a shinobi able to erase their tracks from the camera?_ This was the only question running through Naruto's mind as Gaara and her look at the scene of the crime. There were various yellow tapes blocking them from entering the scene of crime. There were no police in the scene. In fact, Gaara and her were the only two people in the street. Kankuro and Temari were investigating the second scene of the crime as it had been decided by them.

The older boy flickered his eyes around and pressed his hands together, forming several hand seals and sand came out of his gourd. Naruto blinked and tilted her head as the sand wrapped itself underneath Gaara, forming almost a cloud and the older boy floated above the air. His teal eyes locked on the scene, darting his eyes from the yellow tape to the world around them.

"Are you certain that we can gather information by going to the first scene of the crime?" Naruto called out to him. She shoved her hands against her pockets and walked closer to the closed off scene, where there seemed to be no hints of who had managed to kidnap the children.

Gaara stared at the scene below him, zooming his cloud closer to the ground. Naruto puffed her cheeks and walked closer to the closed off section of the street. She darted her eyes at the floor, hoping for any clue that could tell her where those missing kids had gone off to or any hints of which hidden village took the children. There had to be some evidence, some clue on who took those kids.

A war could not break out of this country.

"Naruto, what do you know of kidnapping?" Gaara jumped off of the cloud of sand and made his way towards her. His teal eyes locked onto her eyes before darting his eyes to the tapes and other various thing lying on the ground. "It seems like the heroes had done a very thorough scan of the area."

"I know that the kids were on their way to school when it happened," Naruto sat down on the ground and looked straight at the tree. "Whoever took those kids knew that they should discard their phones because it could track them down. They are also kind of smart because they somehow manage to make the cameras think that nothing had occurred."

Gaara nodded and looked at the ground before darting his eyes to the cameras that surrounded the streets. "If they have an accomplish in the inside then it would make sense on how they were able to alter the tapes. But their accomplish had to be someone that is familiar with our chakra and the technology. It has to be someone like you."

Naruto blinked and blinked before jerking her head at the red-haired boy. He locked eyes on her and looked straight at the closed off area with a frown playing on his lips. Someone like her? But why would a person who escape from the Elemental Countries agree to do this? It just didn't make sense if you ask her. She crouch down and looked at the street, blue eyes focused on the ground. There had to be another way to search for them.

If only they left something behind like a hair or something. Just something that they could use to track them down.

"How are we going to catch them?"

Gaara rubbed his chin. "We will need to figure out if they are kidnapping these children by random or if they are specifically targeting them."

"And how do we do that?"

In that moment, Naruto felt the hairs in the back of her neck stood up as a wave of hate washed over her. She twisted her head around and blinked when the only person she could see beside Gaara was Amajiki-senpai. _Amajiki! _Her senior stood right behind them with knitted eyebrows and eyes focused on the scene of the crime. Indigo eyes looked at her and then shifted to Gaara, who pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Amajiki-senpai, what are you doing here?" She asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

Her senior darted his eyes from the crime scene to her. "I thought we might have overlooked something, which is why Fat Gum and me return here, but the better question why are you here?"

"I was showing my friend around!" Naruto declared, smiling and linking her arm around Gaara. The red-haired boy made no comment but the way he kept looking at Amajiki-senpai told the blonde that he might just question her later. Amajiki blinked and frowned, his eyes locked onto the way Naruto linked her arm around Gaara.

Amajiki flickered his eyes to the crime scene behind them and looked at her. "You decide to show your friend a crime scene."

"Yeah, Gaara likes these kind of things!" Naruto smiled widely and nudged at the red-haired boy to say something. He bobbed his head, teal eyes locked onto the indigo-haired boy. Amajiki rubbed the back of his neck and twisted his body around, shoulders hunched together. In that moment, a large fat figure loomed over them with a frown playing on his lips and a bag of chips in one hand and a file in the other.

"Aren't you the girl that won the first year tournament?" Naruto blinked when the frown on the fat man disappeared, turning into a large smile. The man darted his eyes from her to Amajiki, looking amused and the blonde wondered what was so funny. "Suneater, if you wanted to impress your—"

Her senior's hand shifted to a tentacle and wrapped itself around the man's mouth. The older teen flushed red, looking everywhere but at her. Gaara looked at her and then to Amajiki, body stiffened and eyes looked at her with concern. _I guess he must have heard how bad my situation was three years ago._ She flashed him a smile before looking at Amajiki, who seemed intent on covering his boss' mouth.

"Who do you want to impress, Amajiki-senpai?" Amajiki swirled his head at her and squeaked before releasing his tentacle hand from Fat Gum. The man chuckled and looked at her before shifting his eyes from her to Gaara. The red-haired boy twisted his whole body around, his gourd hiding him from the world.

Naruto darted her eyes to her friend and blinked when she saw him closed his left eye and put his hand together. _I guess I need to play distraction with whatever he plans to do._ She clicked her heels together and linked her arm around Amajiki, blue eyes sparkling as her mind decided to go into the role of being an admirer of her senior.

She doesn't want to do this but those kids needed to be found.

"Tell me Amajiki-senpai, who do you want to impress?" The boy flushed a brighter shade of red as Naruto hugged his arm tighter, earning a booming laugh from Fat Gum. The tall man leaned downwards slightly, a big goofy grin playing on his lips as Amajiki continued to grow a deeper shade of red.

"Yeah _Amajiki-senpai_, who do you want to impress?" Fat Gum asked, humour leaking into his tone. "Tell your kohai about the person that you want to impress."

Amajiki swirled his head at his boss. "You really are enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I'm just repeating what she asked you," Fat Gum declared, holding his hands up innocently. Amajiki hunched his shoulders and turned his head to look at her, opening his mouth to say something to her but only to close it when his eyes darted to their linked arms. He squeaked and quickly yanked his arm from her, earning a knitted eyebrow from the blonde.

"So are you and that red-haired boy on a date?" Fat Gum asked, flickering his eyes to the hunched shoulder of Gaara. He eyed the gourd around his back and then looked at her with curious eyes. Amajiki stiffened and seemed to have a whole dark aura around him at the question.

It was weird if you ask her.

Naruto smiled and shook her head. "Gaara and me don't have that kind of relationship. He is one of my friends from school."

Fat Gum smiled even wider at her words and darted his eyes to Amajiki. The indigo-haired boy straightened his back slightly at those words and he looked at her with wide eyes as if he was surprised by this knowledge. _Well I can't tell anyone that he propose and I turn him down._ This part of the world had some funny ideas on what was and was not acceptable for teenagers.

"So you are single?"

Naruto bobbed her head and took a step back when the man loomed over her. It was not like she had a problem with big people but it would be completely weird for a grown man to take an interest on her. Beside, who would even date her? Once they find out about the Kyuubi then they would leave her. No one in the right mind would still love her if they knew about the beast inside of her.

"Then why don't you date Suneater?" Naruto swirled her head at Amajiki, who flushed a bright shade of red. The older boy looked torn between contemplating killing his boss or to dig a huge hole, where no one could find them. Personally if Jiraiya made a joke like that, she would go for the first option.

"Because Amajiki-senpai has a mysterious crush on someone." Fat Gum looked at Amajiki and chuckled when the boy looked away from them. The man rubbed his chin and as if a light bulb came off, the man slammed his hand against his palm. Amajiki frowned and looked almost pained as if he knew exactly what his boss planned to do.

"Since Suneater is a little ball of nerves, why don't you help him prepare himself for when he finally gets the courage to ask his crush out on a date?" Naruto tilted her head while Amajiki looked at the hero with horror. "You can help him by taking him out on dates and showing him that girls aren't scary creatures."

"I-I never said—"

"You still haven't confess to her," Fat Gum reminded him. "So what about it? Will you help your poor senpai gather the courage to confess his undying love for his crush?"

Naruto flashed a bright smile to Amajiki and her blue eyes darted to Gaara, who unclenched his hands and looked at her with eyes that were warning her not to do this. She raised an eyebrow at him before looking at her senior, who seemed to be squirming around in his spot.

"I will do anything to help senpai!"

She was always a sucker for a good romance and helping Amajiki achieve it would be her third greatest honor.

* * *

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up from the swing and tilted her head at the red-haired boy. Gaara took a seat on the empty swing right beside her, hands clasped together and looking straight at the slides in front of them before looking at her. His teal eyes flashed with concern and Naruto smiled, amused at the concern being shown to her.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" She asked him. The girl stretched her legs before pushing herself back and forth in the swing, blue eyes locked on the swings. The laughter of the children from the Academy echoed in her ear, reminding her of another time and place where it felt like the whole world was against her.

Gaara regarded her. "That senior of yours…he looks almost like Sasuke. Whenever you see him, you must feel hurt."

_The two of us are going to be the best of friends, won't we? We won't end up like Sakura-chan or Ino, will we?_

Naruto slumped her shoulders and closed her eyes as the hazy memories of the past washed over her. The game of hide and seek in his clan's compound. The constant bugging of asking Itachi to show them some tricks. Mikoto-obaachan scolding the two of them for arguing over something stupid. All of it came crashing down upon her again alongside with dark eyes that looked at her with so much hate.

"I used to feel hurt whenever I saw Amajiki-senpai," she admitted. "In my heart, I know that Amajiki-senpai and Sasuke are two different people but I keep seeing him whenever I look at him. When that happens, I will think of the bastard and how much of a fucking failure I was not to save him."

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line. "Used to? What about now?"

"Now? I see Amajiki-senpai as a friend," she replied with a smile. "He is kind of weird sometimes but you get used to it."

Her friend regarded her for a good couple of minutes and then he nodded his head, looking relieved for some strange reason. Naruto shook her head and looked up at the sky for a good couple of minutes. _I wonder if Todoroki is okay._ She blinked and knitted her eyebrows, taken aback at the thought that came into her mind.

She shook her head and looked at her friend, who seemed to have his teal eyes fixated on her. He tilted his head and rubbed his chin, almost looking thoughtful for a moment and she wondered if he was going to question her about something. The older teen shook his head and looked out to the couples.

Teal eyes flashed with curiosity and wonder as well as longing, reminding her that just like her that Gaara was in the same boat when it came to love.

"Gaara, do you ever wonder if someone would love you even if they found out the truth about _you-know-what_?"

Gaara tore his eyes away from the couple and regarded her for a couple of minutes. He shifted his eyes back to the hand-holding couple, his lips pressed into a thin line and his teal eyes revealed no emotions. The only sound that could be heard between the two of them were the sounds of Gaara tapping the chains on the seal.

"Love is something that neither of us have experience," Gaara tilted his head and regarded her. "But between the two of us, you are more likely to find love. You have always walked on the path of good and unlike me, you don't have the deaths of so many people clinging to you. The chances for me…is low and I accept it."

Naruto frowned. "Gaara, you don't know if someone—"

"Naruto, I murdered so many people that I have lost count." Gaara reminded her. "In my hate and anger, I didn't just murder my enemies but also the people of my village. Tell me how can someone in my village still accept me for my actions? How can anyone? This romantic love you talk about is not meant for me."

She tilted her head at him. "But you are different now, Gaara."

"Perhaps," Gaara agreed, looking down at his hands. "But I still have to make up for my actions towards the people of my village. Even though it is confirmed that I am to be Kazekage, the people of my village still looks at me with some fear and I doubt a woman from any village will look my way once they know of my actions."

Naruto pressed her lips together and wished she knew the right words to reassure him, but nothing came to her mind. She inhaled and exhaled, feeling her ribs stretched before looking out at the curtains. _You have always walked on the path of good._ Had she? She murdered people to protect Eri. She failed to save Sasuke and acted so cold to people because she allowed her mistrust to cloud her judgement.

She still struggled at times to trust people.

"Did you read anything interesting from that file?" Gaara sighed and nodded, looking almost relieved that she decided to change the subject. _It was the only thing that I can think of that can change us from talking about this depressing subject._ Naruto looked down at her hands and looked up at the sky.

"It seems like the kid had a Quirk that can manipulate rocks," Gaara informed her. _Rocks?_ Would that be enough for them to have some clue on who might be kidnapping these kids? Naruto rubbed her chin and blew her bangs away, blue eyes focused distantly on a brother and sister running through the park without a care in the world.

_If you tell them then we will have war._

They had to find those kids soon.

"Do you think that will be enough for us to narrow down the list of potential villages?" Naruto asked, curling her lips together into a thin line. _You rush into things._ Aizawa's words echoed in her ear and the more she considered about the idea of telling the heroes, the more she realized how true her teacher was. The situation was delicate and it would not only be Japan involved if she messed up.

Konoha would be questioned and another set of children would go through the pain of being orphans.

Gaara shook his head. "We will need to find clues if there are patterns on which Quirks are being stolen and the way they have been stealing those kids. Certain villages prized different types of Kekkei Genkei especially ones that suited the terrain."

"Kumo tried to steal the Byakugan," Naruto informed him. "In no shape and form was that Kekkei Genkei suited to their landscape. I know you are going to tell me not to jump to conclusions but Kumo is the most likely candidate. They tried to kidnap Hinata-chan on her birthday."

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line and pressed his hands together. "From what I know from the council, the Raikage might be power hungry but I doubt that he would have chosen children with parents. What happened to your friend would serve as a reminder to him about being reckless. No, it has to be a different group."

"You sure know a lot about how the other villages might think." Naruto commented, blinking.

The red-haired boy did not even smile at her words and wrinkles formed around his forehead as if he was thinking carefully about which groups were more likely stealing children. He inhaled and exhaled before looking at her carefully, teal eyes flashing with curiosity.

"Naruto, is there a way that you can find out about which Quirks these kids had?"

_'Since you are taking that girl out of this part of the world, then you should probably have her register her chakra as her Quirk or it might raise a lot of questions for the people there.'_

"Registry." Gaara blinked at her and Naruto jumped off from the swing. She clicked her heels together and spun her body around, blue eyes flashing with determination. "Everyone in this part of the world has to register their Quirks to the government. If we can sneak into the registry in the town office then we can trace the children being stolen to their Quirk."

_With the registry, you have to put your house address._

An idea formed inside her mind as Gaara rubbed his chin at her declaration. The plan would be considered illegal in the eyes of the Japanese Government but time was of the essence. The longer they waited, the more likely those kids would be getting out of this land and into the Elemental Countries.

"Gaara, if we break into the registry then we will get the kids' home address," Naruto said, kneeling down to look at him. "If I can get into their address, take something of theirs then I can track them with my nose."

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line. "Naruto, you are a front-line fighter type…not a tracker nin. Your nose can only take you so far and even then what will you do? Will you go to the village, sneak in there and remove the children from beneath their noses without getting caught?"

"I was thinking more that you will scare the shit out of the daimyo and ask him to pressure the hidden village that was taking those kids, but I like your idea more." Gaara groaned and Naruto flashed him a teasing smile. He shook his head and considered her idea for just a brief moment.

"Do you think that the Daimyo will listen to me?"

Naruto looked at him. "We will have to try and paint a very clear picture to him. It might be naivety but I doubt the Daimyo will want to help fund another war again. If we can make them see that Japan is not a country that you want as an enemy but as a friend then he might be able to pressure the village taking them."

"We will consider that as one option Naruto," Gaara agreed. "But we still need to think of other plans."

Naruto grimaced.

"We can't have a Fourth Shinobi War."

He didn't need to remind her.

* * *

Yugito wrinkled her nose and looked down at her burger, lips curled in distaste. She darted her eyes to Killer B, who seemed more interested in watching some rap battle then to discuss about their plans. Karui and Omoi just looked at the older man, their eyes shut as if they were worried that Killer B might plan to go and join the show. _He probably will since Raikage-sama can't stop him here._

"We have been three weeks and we haven't done what the Raikage ordered us," Yugito finally commented. Killer B still had his eyes fixated on the television screen while the other two shinobi nodded, looking at their mentor with confusion. The other Kumo nin that arrived a few days ago had been ordered to observe the cities here.

Killer B made sure that they hadn't taken any of the children.

"The technology here is cool," Killer B commented, tearing his eyes from the television screen. He pointed to the shop across of them, which showed an advertisement for some kind of machine. "It makes life here easier but it means that they also have technology that can kill us, yo."

"But the Raikage…"

Killer B lowered his sunglasses and looked at the three of them with a seriousness that Yugito didn't think her fellow jinchuuriki had. "My brother might want power but he won't fight a war that he can't win."

Their eyes widened and Killer B took a large bite of his burger, letting out a small moan before scribbling down a couple of notes into his rap notebook. Gulping down his food, the man looked at them and then to the various people with their strange appearances.

"Kekkei Genkei and a powerful technology is a dangerous combo," Killer B commented. "If we do anything dangerous then A will lose face and I won't allow him to lose face in front of the council. The idea of the children will have to be scrapped unless we find a way that war between our lands can be avoided. The 9-tailed Jinchuuriki will be the only order that we will carry through."

Yugito sighed and flickered her eyes to the other television screen, where the faces of the missing children were blasted for everyone to see. The person kidnapping those children must have a talent of avoiding those cameras if anyone asked her.

She sighed.

They had to at least come back with her fellow Jinchuuriki.

* * *

**A/N:** **Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the friendship between Naruto and Gaara? **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

Various newspaper were scattered around the table with the faces of the various missing children blasted for the whole world to see. On the top of the newspapers were various coffee cups alongside a piece of paper that was filled with lists of names. Naruto sipped her coffee, wrinkling her nose as the bitter taste of the coffee burned her throat, while Gaara and his siblings looked down at the list.

"Temari and Kankuro, did you find anything when you went to the scene?" Naruto leaned forward and stared at the two Suna shinobi. She nibbled her bottom lip and balled her hand into a tight fist when the older Suna shinobi glanced at each other.

Temari sighed and shook her head. "We found nothing."

Naruto slumped her shoulders and pressed her hands against her forehead, blue eyes closed tightly. Her throat burned like she swallowed one of Sasuke's fireballs and god did her throat hurt. This should never be a surprised but a part of her clung to the hope that they did have a clue. Something that could have given them a better clue on which village took the children.

The door to the café swung opened and the four teens swirled their heads around. Blue eyes widened when she caught sight of Todoroki walking into the café with an older white-haired boy walking with him. Todoroki blinked and knitted his eyebrows, mismatch eyes flashed with concern at the sight of her. Naruto inhaled and forced herself to smile at him, hoping and praying that he wouldn't question her.

Temari flushed a light shade of red at the sight of Todoroki, almost reminding Naruto of the time that the woman flushed a light shade of pink at the sight of Sasuke. Naruto pressed her lips together, eyebrows knitted and the blonde felt a strange swirl of emotions in her stomach. _I really don't know what this feeling is._ She rubbed her chin, tilted her head to the side and locked eyes on Todoroki.

_This feeling will fade away._

It always did.

The white-haired boy stopped talking, knitted his eyebrow and grey eyes glinted with amusement at the sight of her. The older boy nudged Todoroki, whispered a few words and to Naruto's amusement, Todoroki looked away with a tiny frown playing on his lips. Gaara flickered his eyes from Todoroki to her, teal eyes flashing with curiosity.

"He is the boy from Friday, isn't he?" Gaara asked, flickering his eyes to Todoroki.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Todoroki."

"I remember him. He is the guy with the Ice and Fire Kekkei Genkei," Kankuro commented, snapping his fingers. He looked at the mismatch boy with a tilted head before flickering his eyes at her. She looked away from him and blinked when the white-haired boy wrapped his hand around Todoroki's hand, dragging him towards them. "That guy was really powerful."

Her friend looked almost pain to be dragged here as the white-haired boy smiled widely, looking almost like a cat that seemed ready to pounce on them. His grey eyes flashed with curiosity as it darted from her to Gaara while Todoroki just looked ready to yank his hand from his brother's hand. His mismatch eyes flashed apologetically at her, almost telling her that he had an idea that he shouldn't be near them right now.

She frowned and flickered her eyes to the newspaper scattered on the table. With a tight smile playing on her lips, Naruto shoved the newspaper and the notebook into her bag. If Todoroki saw the newspaper and notebooks then it would bring out a lot of questions. _He might be terrible when it comes to social situations but Todoroki is smart._ Too smart if you asked her.

"My baby brother told me a lot about you!" Naruto blinked when the white-haired boy flashed them a smile. He blinked and snapped his fingers as if he just realized that she didn't know him. "I'm Natsuo."

Blue eyes regarded the smiling boy standing before them and then flickered her eyes to Shouto. Her friend opened his mouth to apologize but Naruto just flashed him a smile. Why should he even apologize? It wasn't like he even know that she was going to be here with Gaara and his siblings.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto declared, smiling widely and she closed her blue eyes. The nervous tic of her childhood seemed ready to explode out of her mouth and she prayed to god that the words _believe it_ didn't come out of her mouth.

"I remember your name from the Sports Festival," Natsuo admitted. "And from the way that you nearly murdered your classmates for making you wear a cheerleader's outfit."

The blond-haired girl groaned and slumped down on her seat at the reminder of the terrible incident. She just wanted to forget about the horrible cheerleader outfit that Yaoyorozu and Jirou convinced her to wear. _The whole world saw me in a stupid skirt._ Wait the whole world saw her. She swirled her head at Gaara. "Did you see me in a cheerleader's outfit?"

"We did," Kankuro answered, rubbing his chin and tilting his head. "Hard to believe that the girl who wore a horrible orange jumpsuit had a body that—"

"Kankuro, shut up." Gaara barked, narrowing his eyes at his older brother. The red-haired teen had his eyes fixated on Naruto, who seemed ready to just clench her hands and smash the boy for his comment. He shifted his eyes to Shouto and curled his lips when the mismatch boy's eyebrows twitched.

"Oh? And who might you be?" Natsuo shifted his attention to Gaara. His grey eyes seemed fixated on the distance between Naruto and Gaara, who were sitting side by side. He shifted his attention to Shouto, who also had his eyes fixated on them. "Are you her boyfriend?"

Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow at the question, looking almost absolutely befuddled at the fact that he would think the two of them were in a relationship. He pressed his lips into a thin line. "I am Gaara and to answer your question, I'm Naruto's friend."

Natsuo nodded as if the answer confirmed his suspicion. Grey eyes shifted to Kankuro and then to Temari before looking back at her. He looked around the busy café, grey eyes flashing with mischief as if an idea was being toyed around in his mind. A smile played on his lips and the older boy wrapped his hand on Shouto, bringing him close to his chest. "Then you won't mind if we sit with you guys right?"

"Natsuo, what are you d—"

"Sure," Naruto smiled and gestured for Gaara to scoot in. The red-haired boy obligated, shifting inside the booth and it was not long before Natsuo shoved Shouto to sit beside her. Kankuro and Temari blinked before shifting inwards too, allowing the white-haired boy to take a seat with them. The white-haired boy grinned and slid into the seat.

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line and flickered his eyes from her to Shouto and then finally Natsuo. He finally turned to Naruto. "May I ask why is everyone so interested in your love life, Naruto?"

"Beats me," Naruto answered. "I wasn't even aware that I have one."

Natsuo laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well a pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend. I mean from what Shouto talks about you, you have the whole package: beauty and brains."

The mismatch boy rubbed the back of his neck and looked away as several sets of eyes landed on him. At first glance, it would not even seem like Shouto was blushing but Naruto knew what to look for when Shouto was embarrassed. A small smile played on her lips when her eyes caught sight of the light flush in his cheeks.

"Is Todoroki embarrassed? And since when did you call me smart?" Naruto said, turning her head to look at him.

Todoroki shook his head. "How can I be embarrassed if I was telling him the truth? And I might not say it but it is pretty obvious with anyone that has a brain that you aren't an idiot."

_You will be surprised at how well I can act as an idiot._ Naruto curled her lips into a small smile and tucked a strand of her hair before looking out to the window. The various children running around through the streets without a care in the world, their laughter and giggles drilling through the walls and Naruto looked down at her hands.

_I need to find those kids._ She pressed her hands together and closed her eyes as various children flashed before her. Everything that was happening to this side of the world was happening because of her selfishness. Because she was impulsive and reckless enough to make out a declaration of apology to Hinata-chan. Jiraiya warned her that he didn't know if the people would believe it was a show if she went out there.

She steadied her shaking hands and clenched her fist together. _The saddest thing was the knowledge that I was unwanted._ Haku's words echoed in her ear, constantly reminding her of the tragedy faced in the world that they had been born into. _People with Kekkei Genkei had been hunted down for their abilities._ Haku's words kept reminding her of her own god damn stupidity.

"Uzumaki, are you okay?" Blue eyes turned around and she blinked at the sight of Shouto leaning closer to her. Mismatch eyes flashed with concern as his eyes darted towards her balled fist. "Talk to me."

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Uzumaki." Shouto lowered his voice and his mismatch eyes locked onto her as if trying to tell her that he was not going to let the topic go. He flickered his eyes to the other teens, who seemed more intent on getting to know each other then noticing something was wrong between them. "Something is bothering you."

"I'm fine." She forced herself to smile at him. It was probably stupid of her because Shouto could read her like an open book at times. He was going to question her and the thought made her falter in her smile. The last person that she wanted to worry was Shouto.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You haven't been fine since they declared that those kids had been missing."

"And you think I want to talk to you about it?" The words tumbled out of her mouth and Naruto blinked. She hunched her shoulders, looking down at her hands. Shouto pressed his lips into a very thin line, mismatch eyes flashed with concern and slight irritation at her words which did not go unmissed by Gaara. The red-haired teen darted his eyes between them, lips pressed into a thin line.

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line. "Uzumaki, I know you have been acting like crap ever since they declared those kids went missing. I consider you as my friend and as your friend, I am here for you. Now what is bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Uzumaki." Mismatch eyes flashed with deeper concern and Naruto looked away, forcing herself to look at the pretty cakes on display from the shop across the street. _You can't tell him about the cause of those kids disappearing. _This was something that she needed to keep between the four of them.

She could not let anything happen to her precious people.

* * *

With the twinkling lights from the city, the hustle and bustle of people going in and out of the city and the honks coming from the cars, it was hard for Naruto to believe that the country was facing a crisis of their children going missing. She shook her head and looked down at the vent before flickering her eyes to Gaara and the others.

"Are we sure that we want to give an important task to Naruto?" Kankuro asked, flickering his eyes to his younger brother. Gaara tilted his head and raised one non-existent eyebrow at his older brother, not looking one bit amused at the doubts that seemed to be forming in his mind.

Naruto swirled her head and scowled. "What? You think I'm not capable of getting caught!"

"You are loud." Temari pointed out.

Her eyebrows twitched.

"And well the chunin exams showed that you don't know how to act like a ninja," Kankuro continued on. "You were always boasting and you were always so damn emotional."

Naruto grinded her teeth together and clenched her hands into a fist as her eyebrows continued to twitch. Yeah, she would admit that she could be very emotional. She knew damn well that a shinobi should never boast about their skills but not getting caught was a whole different ball game. A ball game that she spent years mastering for her pranks.

"Don't underestimate her skills," Gaara said quietly. Naruto smiled widely at her friend, pleased to know at least one person had faith in her skills of not getting caught. She weaved her hands through a familiar set of hand seals, closed her eyes as the matron came into her mind and a cloud of smoke appeared around her, enveloping her as her appearance changed to the woman that made her life hell.

She flashed them a smile and climbed down the vents. She raised her thumb at them before going through the vents, blue eyes shut as she tried to recall the map that her clone created while the four of them had breakfast with Todoroki and his big brother. She bobbed her head, looking out from the small vents and smiled widely at the sight of the corridor.

_Whenever in doubt, always use a hairpin._ Naruto unclipped her hair, put her hairpin inside her mouth and twisted the air vent around until it opened. She lowered her head, looking from side to side before jumping down to the ground. A small sigh escaped from her lips and Naruto looked around the corridor again, confirming that there was no one else here but her.

She flickered her eyes to the camera and grimaced, realizing just how much of a bad idea it would be for her to create clones. Naruto walked through the corridors, stopping when she read the bold words of registry. The blonde curled her lips into a bright smile, striding towards the door and placing her hand on the top. She twisted and turned the door, lips curled into a frown when she saw that it was locked.

The blonde removed the hairpin from her mouth and placed it through the door, twisting and turning it until she could hear the distinct sound of a click. She put the hairclip back on her hair, pushed the door open and glided through the open door. Blue eyes flickered through the various cabinets that surrounded the room. _If I remember one of those kids had a last name of Tanaka._

She went to the cabinet labelled T and pulled open the cabinet. Her fingers ruffled through the many files, making sure to pause whenever the last name Tanaka appeared. It had been so easy in paper, presuming that once they found the name Tanaka then it would be easy for her to track down the kid. _I swear to god that there had to be at least ten kids with that last name._

Luckily they had pictures.

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and pulled out the last of the last name Tanaka. A smiling blue-haired kid appeared before her, his eyes twinkling with joy as the file stated his Quirk and his address. _I can't take the file with me so I guess I need to take a photo._ Naruto grimaced, pulled out her phone from her pocket and took several photos of the file.

_I will need to print this out at home and give it to Gaara._

She put the file back to its original position before going to the next kid on the list, repeating the process again and again. The more and more Naruto see those kids with their smiling faces, the more her stomach turned and sweat began to form around her hands. God, these kids had been so innocent and that wonderful innocence was going to go away because of her _stupid_ desire to apologize to her best friend.

The cabinet was shut and Naruto shuffled through the shadows of the corridor, shoulders hunched up and eyes focused on the world around her. The light footsteps of the security could be heard alongside their joyous laughter and jokes. Naruto pressed her lips together and slid deeper into the shadows, walking closer to the air vent that would take her back to Gaara and his siblings.

She inhaled and placed her legs on the side of the wall, channeling chakra and walking straight to the air vent. She flickered her eyes downwards, lips pressed into a thin line and sweat clinging to her skin when the security guard came to stand underneath the air vent. His beady eyes looked everywhere, side to side before looking at the closed air vents.

Naruto held her breath and eyed the man as her hand reached out to grab the airvent. The security guard shrugged his shoulder before letting out a little him and going back to doing his rounds. A small sigh of relief escaped from her lips and the blonde pulled open the air vents, pulled herself up and began to crawl her way out of the system.

She pulled herself up and flashed a bright smile at the three teens. "I didn't get caught, did I now?"

"Where are the files?" Temari asked.

Naruto released the henge and pulled out her phone from her pocket. She clicked her tongue, touching the photo app and pulling out a photo of the file. The blonde handed the phone to Gaara, who looked down at the phone and skim read through the photos that Naruto took. He nodded.

"Before I leave for my internship, you should visit me in my apartment so I can give you a printout of the photos." Naruto informed him as the boy returned her phone back to her. She looked down at the phone, lips pressed into a thin line and her blue eyes flashed with no emotions. "And you can start the search for things that I can use to track those children down."

"Will your internship be near here?" Kankuro asked.

Naruto shook her head. "I will be in Fukuoka so you will need to go there by train when you want to give me the stuff to look for. Once I find out where I will be living for a week, I will send a toad to tell you."

She would probably need to figure out how was she going to juggle her internship alongside her search for these kids, especially since Naruto knew that her clones could not be the most reliable people in terms of crisis.

* * *

"_Is Uzumaki dating Endeavour's son?"_

Isamu looked up from his newspaper, blue eyes focused on the scowling blond-haired boy that seemed ready to throttle his friends for asking that question. He tapped his feet and flipped through the page, looking back at his newspaper when the boy Bakugo turned to look around. His lips curled into a sneer as the boy whirled his body around, screaming at his friends for jumping to conclusions.

In the last month, Isamu felt a constant humming presence around the boy. A humming presence that the brown-haired man used to feel constantly in his part of the world. But no matter where Isamu looked, he could not find the source of that annoying chakra. _But I know for certain that it isn't from the boy._ Despite his eerily resemblance to the Yellow Flash, Bakugou Katsuki had no chakra.

Perhaps it was coincidence that they looked similar but Isamu knew that there was a reason they looked similar. _Perhaps the inheritance of chakra is a recessive trait._ It was perhaps the only explanation for the boy's lack of chakra and his resemblance to the Yellow Flash.

As if to mock him, his phone rang and a quick glance at the unknown number made Isamu scowled. He grinded his teeth together, lowered his newspaper and pulled out his phone from his pocket. With his eyes fixated on the nearest shop, Isamu placed his phone in his ear and pulled out a cigarette from his packet.

"What?" He growled.

A laugh bounced off from the phone and Isamu's eyebrows twitched. "_Is that how you greet your cousin? I have got a job for you to do."_

Isamu pressed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes as Bakugou shoved his friends, jogging around as his friends made some comment about another girl. Another job huh? He tilted his head and let out a groan as blue eyes looked up at the night sky. Of all times that this fool called him, it was when he wanted to observe the bastard.

"_You and your __**friends**__ are getting greedy,_" Isamu declared with blue eyes fixated at the police that seemed to be patrolling the park. "_You need to be careful with your greed."_

His cousin snorted. "_And do you want me to tell the Tsuchikage that one of his missing-nin had been in Japan the whole time? Of all the places that you chose to run to, you came to this country. You even became a criminal instead of doing something more productive with your talents. You were going to be a wonderful shinobi and instead…__**you are this.**__"_

Blue eyes narrowed and Isamu balled his hands into a fist. His blood boiled at the indication that his younger cousin was implying about his talents. So what? He gave up being a shinobi when the blasted old man got furious that he broke the orders and murdered the client. _The bastard annoyed the crap out of me._

"_Don't forget that I'm the reason that no one had been able to trace your friends back,"_ Isamu warned him. "_Because of my job, I have been able to hide any traces and evidences of the crimes I committed. Piss me off and this alliance is over."_

His cousin laughed. "_But you need me just as much, after all I'm the only reason that my teammates haven't decided to murder you for you abandoning the village. Now be a good older cousin and do what you are told."_

Isamu grinded his teeth at those words. Three civilians against him would be easy but a group of four shinobi against him, well he was not going to take the risk. It was probably the only reason he hadn't attack that Uzumaki Naruto just yet. Almost every time he caught sight of her, she was with that Toad Sannin.

He had no chance against a damn Toad Sannin.

"When is your next dinner party?" Isamu asked, eyeing the police.

A laugh broke out from the phone and joy leaked out of his cousin's mouth. "_Well I overheard a couple of doctors talking about an Uzumaki doctor that is capable of healing anyone with her blood. Such a wonderful Kekkei Genkei would be desired by the Tsuchikage, don't you think? A person with both chakra and a healing Kekkei Genkei…a wonderful addition, don't you think?"_

Isamu sighed and looked up at the sky. "Tell me the time and place."

Honestly, it would be a while before he could accomplish his own goals not when the bastard was getting too greedy with the length of time that he planned to take the children.

It didn't matter as long as his cousin kept his end of the bargain.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the sequel so far? And of the arc so far? And of the OC that had been introduced so far.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

At the age of twelve, Naruto was introduced to her team and the jounin in charge of them. _Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke_. Those were her teammates names. They were her very first team and a team should be filled with people that liked each other. Teams were supposed to be a second family or so Naruto remembers Mikoto telling her and Sasuke about her own team.

Naruto knows from the conversation between Sasuke and Sakura that her pink-haired teammate found her annoying. _If I was being honest, she was the more annoying one._ She could list out every flaw in Sakura from her physical abilities to her naivety about Sasuke but she doesn't do it. Because Naruto wanted to walk the higher road or whatever bullshit that the Hokage tells her whenever she plans a prank on anyone that bullies her or Hinata-chan.

Their jounin was _Hatake Kakashi_. She thinks and hopes that their teacher would be someone that was friendly and open, someone that would bring them closer. She wants to think that the three hours he made them wait was his way of making them bond with each other. _It has to be the only explanation for his lateness._ But she doubts that it was the case.

She doesn't understand why he was always late but Naruto understands her teacher better than anyone thinks. She understands him, not from the moment that he declares he hates them. _To be honest, she hates him for being late and calling her an idiot for her prank. If he was such a hotshot then he should avoid it._ But from the moment that he asks them to introduce themselves.

She sat on the right side of Sasuke, lips curled into a bright smile and body bouncing in excitement as Kakashi-sensei observed them. The man leaned his body back, a single eye darting from each one of them as if he was analyzing them for any weaknesses that he wanted to squash out of them. Sakura sat on the left of Sasuke, always taking not so secret glances at the boy.

"_I would like the three of you to introduce yourselves."_ Kakashi folds his arms against his chest and Naruto stares at him, eyebrows raised to her hairline. _We know each other._ She wants to say the words so badly but then she thinks of Sasuke and how the two of them weren't as close as before.

She thought of Sakura and how the only thing she knows about her new teammate was her crush on Sasuke and her broken friendship with Ino. So she bites her tongue and stares at the man before them.

Sakura knitted her eyebrow. "_What do you want us to tell you?"_

Naruto nodded and stared at the grey-haired man, wondering what he was searching from them. There were many things that they could tell him from their likes to even about why the three of them decided to become a shinobi. _It was a very board question that Naruto doesn't know the answer._ Because what kind of question did he ask of them.

Their teacher shrugged. "_Tell me your likes, dislikes, your dreams and even your hobbies. Those kind of things._"

Naruto stared at him, wondering if he was trying to figure out their personalities from those things. She wasn't a genius like Sasuke and she probably wasn't as book smart as Sakura but she knew that you could tell a lot about a person from those kind of things. So Naruto knits her eyebrows and leans her body forward. "_Then you should go first sensei. Show us how this kind of thing is done."_

She wanted to know what type of man that the Hokage assigned to teach them.

"_Naruto is right,"_ Sakura gazed at their teacher. "_You are a complete stranger to us."_

Naruto nods her head and stares at him, lips stretched into a bright, big smile. She doesn't think that he is a complete stranger to her. His chakra feels familiar to her for some strange reason, the kind of chakra that she used to feel outside of her cold apartment. She doesn't know why it feels familiar but she knows it feels kind of warm to her.

Kakashi hummed and just stared at them. "_Oh me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes! My dreams for the future is none of your business and I have a lot of hobbies."_

Naruto stares at him and gawks at him as silence hung between the four of them as her teammates process what he just told them. She knows he said a lot of things about himself in just one sentence and Naruto understands immediately of what type of relationship that this man was going to have with them. She knows from those words that he was always going to be distant from them, never being there for them.

Any hopes that she has of him becoming family to her was crush that day…_because if Kakashi-sensei wanted to be close to them then he would be as open as he wanted them to be with him._ Families were supposed to be close and if their teacher has no intention of being close then how can they follow his lead?

_She thinks that was the difference between Kakashi-sensei and Aizawa-sensei. Aizawa-sensei gets close to a certain point but shows a care that Kakashi-sensei was never capable of giving her. _

"_Now it's your turn,"_ Kakashi shifted his head to her. "_Blonde."_

Naruto slaps a smile on her face and fiddles with her headband, closing her bright blue eyes. "_My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What I like is instant ramen but I like it better when Iruka-sensei treats me to ramen at Ichiraku."_

What she never tells them that she actually likes hanging out with Hinata-chan, training her ass off and playing with Konohamaru and his friends. She doesn't tell them that she likes people who were blunt and honest about their feelings. She likes people who doesn't underestimate her. She loves hanging out with children.

"_What I hate is the three minutes to cook my instant ramen."_ For added effect, Naruto pouts and shakes her head, allowing an imaginary tear to fall. She doesn't scowl or get annoyed because no one cares about her feelings or wants to see the real her.

A part of her finds it funny how easy it was for her to fool Sakura. The pink-haired girl looks at her like she was a bigger idiot then she thought and Sasuke looks at her like he doesn't understand why she was giving such a stupid introduction. He looks at her with eyes that demands for her to tell him why she was acting even dumber than usual, she just smiles wider at him. _He lost the right to question her about all of her actions when Ami stole her homework. _Kakashi looks at her with judging eyes, already dismissing her an idiot.

If Kakashi had been open to them then Naruto would tell him her true dislikes. She dislikes going back home to an empty, cold apartment with no one greeting her. She dislikes liars and people that aren't honest about their feelings. She hates liars and friends that won't admit they owe _her_ an apology. She hates the matron and anyone that hurts little kids. She hates bullies the most.

"_My dream is to become the strongest kunoichi in the world and be a stronger Hokage than any of the Hokages that came before us,"_ Naruto declares, bouncing in her seat and fiddling with her headband. She thinks this was the only truth that she would share to them because she will make it a reality. "_And everyone can acknowledge me."_

She doesn't tell them that she wants to have a big family and to fall in love with someone that can accept the monster inside her. To fall in love with someone that can recognize the truth behind her smiles. She thinks that dream was a dream that will never happen, because who can ever love her when she has a monster in her gut?

The reason that she never tells them is because if her own teacher can't be open then Naruto will play the same trick. She wants to see if her teacher was smart enough to realize that even the deadlast wasn't stupid enough to give this kind of introduction and that she doesn't trust him or her teammates.

_Even when she left Konoha with Jiraiya, she doesn't believe that Kakashi-sensei realize that he never has her trust. That she had never open herself up to anyone that wasn't Hinata._

* * *

"What do you think Hawks will be like?"

Naruto looked at Tokoyami and leaned her body closer to her fellow student. He blinked and tilted his head while his eyes focused on the passing scenery flashing on the other side of the train. The trees and rivers blurred into one image, almost reminding the blonde of the blurry photos that she sometimes took.

"From his appearances in television, he seems to be a happy man that doesn't seem to take things seriously," Tokoyami answered. He looked down at his packed lunch and his body seemed to hunch up slightly as he seemed to be deep in thought on something. "But maybe he will be different in real life."

She nodded her head and hummed. "Do you think he will be a great mentor to us?"

"We are going to find out, aren't we?" Tokoyami looked at their fellow passengers, his eyes fixated on the smiling faces of the various kids before looking back at her. _I hope for both of our sakes that he is as amazing as he is on paper._ She plastered on a smile and nodded her head before looking out to the window, focusing on the greens of this country.

Her body seemed to start humming from her uniform's skirt pocket, hinting that there was something on her phone. She nibbled her bottom lip, dug her hand into the pocket and pulled out her phone. Blue eyes widened at the blinking name of _Pretty Boy._ She nibbled her bottom lip and swipe the message, fingers twitching and body trembling at what could be happening to her friend.

_I forgot to say this yesterday Uzumaki, but good luck with your internship with Hawks. I hope you have a good experience with him._

There was a slight flutter in her heart and a strange feeling build around Naruto's stomach as her blue eyes locked onto the message. It didn't mean anything. It was just a message between two friends but it felt different for her. It made her smile even though there was nothing about it. But maybe it was because Todoroki wanted to reassure her instead of being concern about working with his father.

"Todoroki?" Naruto swirled her head and stared at Tokoyami. The raven-head boy had his eyes fixated on her phone, flickering his eyes from her to the phone again. If her classmate had eyebrows, Naruto had no doubt that he would be raising an eyebrow at her.

Her cheeks flushed red and the blonde furiously shook her head. "W-What makes you think that it was Todoroki? For all you know, it could be Bakugo or even Midoriya."

"Because you and Todoroki are very close and there always seemed to be a barrier around you." Naruto blinked and hunched her shoulders before looking down at her own hand. A barrier? She nibbled her bottom lip and shook her head at the thought. It might seem like that but it was only because Todoroki had always been there on her. "And you are not denying that it isn't Todoroki."

She steadied her hands. "We are only friends."

Naruto inhaled and looked down at her phone, blue eyes fixated at her phone. _Talk to me._ She exhaled, wishing for the first time that she had been born in this part of the world where her problems could be simple. She could never tell him about the problem that she faced now. But she could be there for him.

_I will make it the best experience that I can have._ The words came out of her thumbs and Naruto chewed on her bottom lip as Todoroki's words about his past drilled into her ear, reminding her that he was also facing another problem. _But Todoroki, if you have any concerns or if he is acting like an ass then call me. Just send me the word to vent it out because bottling it up isn't good for you. You will probably get wrinkles._

She doesn't know how this friend thing works anymore but she thinks that this was what friends write to other friends.

_Will I actually get wrinkles?_

A laugh escaped from Naruto's lips because this was something only Todoroki could say. A part of her wanted to mess with him. To tease him about it. But a part of her knew that this was not the time for her to mess with him. So she typed out the word _no._ She looked out at the scenery, lips curled into a bright smile.

_I hate him for doing that to her because it was his fault for causing her to break down._

Todoroki's words echoed in her ears and Naruto found her fingers typing out a message to him again. _If Endeavour causes you any problems then please tell me, Todoroki. I really don't know if it was a good idea for you to do this._ She knew she should trust her friend's judgement but her stomach rolled whenever she thinks of how terrible it was for him to live with his father.

_Thank you for worrying about me and I will tell you about my first day with him, Uzumaki._ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip at Todoroki's message and she inhaled carefully as her brain processed what she was about to tell him next. The memory of him hugging her as she admitted about her feelings towards her unknown parents flashed before her.

Even though it had been a month, Naruto still flushed red at the memory.

_Shouto, you don't need to thank me for worrying about you._ She gulped down a lump and calmed down her trembling hands. A part of her always felt uncomfortable with voicing out her concerns in a gentle way but Todoroki had always been different._ I am always going to worry about you being with him because he hurts you. But if he does anything then I want you to know that you have me to talk to. I'm here to help you through this._

She exhaled and looked out at the window.

_I know._ She smiled and blinked when she saw a text bubble that was coming after the next message. _You are the warmth that helps me deal with this._

Naruto's cheeks burned at those words and the blonde turned her head away, ignoring the knowing look from Tokoyami. There wasn't anything wrong with that message. It was nice and it made her stomach turn, almost like she had eaten a whole bowl of butterflies.

_I really don't think that this feeling is going to fade._ She held her phone close to her chest and looked down at her trembling body. Her heart still felt like it was racing a hundred miles and Naruto wasn't certain anymore if she hated this feeling or not. She doesn't even know what this feeling was but it made her feel warm.

It felt nice.

_Uzumaki, why did you suddenly decide to call me Shouto?_

Naruto blinked and looked at the messages, teeth nibbling her bottom lip as she realized that she typed in his first name. She knitted her eyebrows, forming wrinkles around her forehead. Many thoughts and memories swirled around her head and it dawned on her what made her decide to disregard whatever felt right in this world.

_Because that is __**your**__ name and you are my friend, Shouto. I have never called my friends by their last names before and to keep calling you that…it feels wrong to me. You can call me Naruto if it makes you feel better._

She looked up at the ceiling and looked down at her phone. There was no response and she wondered if she did something wrong by telling him her reason. Maybe she should just send him an apology for writing out his name without second thought. God, it was just common in their part of the world that she forgot the customs of this part of the world.

Apparently she was forgetting a lot of things lately.

Everything that was happening so far was because she was forgetting things.

* * *

"You are the two interns that have decided to grace me with your presence!"

Hawks might not be the tallest guy that Naruto met but the blonde would not deny that he had a presence that seemed to belong to only to the people in the top 3. With his gigantic wings and easy-going smile, Naruto could see what made him so loved by the people. The smile on his lips seemed welcoming but Naruto knew a smile could paint a different picture from one's true feelings.

His sidekick offered them a smile and excused himself, closing the door quietly and leaving the two teens alone to deal with the man that nominated them. Hawks spin himself out of his chair and walked towards them, his hands clasped around his head and his golden eyes fixated at the two of them.

If Hawk gave a smile that showed he was happy and relaxed then his eyes painted a whole different picture to Naruto. His golden eyes shone with curiosity, weariness and a tiredness that a carefree man should never have. It seemed older than his 22 years and Naruto guessed that was to be expected. Being number three wasn't easy for anyone and only someone hard-working could get there.

She wondered how many hours did he put in to his work.

"So tell me about yourselves." Hawks leaned against his desk and drank a can of coffee, his golden eyes still seemed fixated on them. He slurps down his coffee and then tossed the coffee can to the trashcan. "Tell me about your likes and dislikes."

"Shouldn't you start first?" Naruto asked, raising a single eyebrow at him. "We don't know anything about you except what you tell the media…and you can lie about it."

Hawks regarded her and a smile played on his lips as his golden eyes twinkled with amusement. He rubbed his faint stubble on his chin as his eyes seemed fixated in her blue eyes before flickering his eyes to Tokoyami, who just gawked at her. Naruto straightened her back and looked at him.

"Fair is fair," Hawks agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "I like honest people and I dislike formalities so you can call me whatever you want. If you want to know about my dream then it is so that I can patrol at my own pace and take things easy. Now it is your turn, Uzumaki."

Naruto blinked and tilted her head as her blond eyebrows knitted together. Her blue eyes darted to the man, taking in the relaxed posture and the curiosity in his eyes. His hands seemed to be stuck on either side of the table, indicating to her that he had nothing to hide from them. _It means if I question him then he will be as honest as he can be._ She bobbed her head and decided that she would give him the same amount of respect.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto but call me Naruto," Tokoyami blinked and Naruto shrugged. She plastered on a bright smile and blue eyes locked on the golden eyes of Hawks. "I like hanging out with my friends and I like people that are honest as well when it comes to their intentions. I hate liars and dislikes anyone that decides to throw away years of friendship."

Hawks regarded her with eyes that flashed with curiosity. He hummed and tapped his fingers against the desk as his golden eyes were locked onto her. Understanding flashed before them, hinting to her that he could understand some of the things that she liked and disliked. He doesn't tell her to explain or ask for any stories, just rubbing his chin as Tokoyami gazed at her with wide eyes.

"And your dreams? What makes you want to be a hero?"

Naruto straightened her back and clenched her hands into a tight fist. "I came here to find out why I want to be a hero. I want to find out what motivates me to do this job instead of taking an easier job."

The words hung in the air and she waited for Hawks to say something. Instead he looked at her with golden eyes that flashed with understanding and amusement as if he understood her frustrations. He curled his lips into a large smile, letting out a laugh that echoed the walls.

Tokoyami and Naruto glanced at each other.

"Motivation is an important aspect of being a hero," Hawks agreed, picking up his fallen feather. He twirled it around as his golden eyes fixated on her. "And many heroes have different reasons for becoming a Hero. It is okay that you don't have a reason for wanting to be a hero but the fact that you want to figure it out…makes you a lot better than some of the interns that do these stuff."

Naruto blinked and stared at the hero, who still smiled at her. He looked up at the ceiling and then flashed her a smile that made her want to blink. Was that all he had to say? She expected him to give her some speech about how to be motivated or how she was going to be terrible for not knowing why she chose this job.

"And you, Tokoyami?"

Tokoyami straightened his back and told them about his dreams alongside his likes and dislikes. Naruto quirked an eyebrow when the teen looked away at the mention of his hobby. _I can guess that he still feels embarrass for liking whatever fantasy stuff that the boys in middle school out grew. _She flashed him a smile and the boy slumped his shoulders, not looking one bit pleased that she learnt about his hobby.

Hawks nodded his head and regarded the two of them. "This year is the first year that I nominated two people from the Sports Festival and to be honest, I don't really do the whole Sports Festival but the two of you caught my eyes for various reasons."

He looked out at the window and looked at the two teens standing in front of him.

"Since the two of you are already suited up, it is time for us to go on patrol."

She wondered what they were going to do on patrol.

* * *

The carpark was empty by the time that Tomoyo finished her rounds in the hospital. There were a few cars belonging to her fellow co-workers and interns but the gray-haired woman knew that most of them were in the hospital sleeping or chatting without a care in the world. She was on the other hand going back home to make dinner for her stubborn father and younger brother.

Her whole body stiffened when she felt a buzzing sensation approaching her. _Three people._ Tomoyo clenched her hands into a fist, nibbled her bottom lip and swung her leg around at the person approaching her. The wind swirled, pushing the man back and the grey-haired woman narrowed her eyes at him. The man laughed but what drew Tomoyo was the headband around his head.

_Father told me that shinobi wore headbands._ Violet eyes widened and she felt her blood pressure rising as the man looked at her legs and white doctor coat with amusement and cruelty. She shifted her body around, hands raised and violet eyes boring straight at the man that dared to attack her.

"It seems like you are a fighter as well as a doctor," the shinobi declared, putting his hands together. "I guess that this was to be expected from an Uzumaki."

Tomoyo grinded her teeth together and clenched her hands into a fist as the hazy memory of her childhood flashed before her. Weekends spent in the dojo with Eisuke. Her begging her father to accept the fact that she had no plans to be a fighter. _I won't be a hero._ She declared those words to him but her father doesn't accept it. He just looked at her with hardened eyes.

"_It isn't the matter of being a hero, Tomoyo. Being able to defend yourself is a worthwhile skill and being a medic in the Elemental Countries used to mean that you are able to protect yourself if anything goes wrong."_

Her father had been so happy to rub it in Uncle Kenji's face that he had been wrong about everything and had told her that she and her brother had one less thing to worry about.

Tomoyo jumped up to the ceiling as the ground moved up and down like a wave. Purple eyes narrowed at the shinobi and the woman kept her leg plastered to the ceiling. The man launched himself upwards, hands curled into a fist and maybe if Tomoyo hadn't been trained then she would think that the kunai was travelling at the speed of light.

She tilted her head as the kunai slashed her cheeks and slammed right next to her. _Think Tomoyo! What to do?_ The woman looked around and looked at the shinobi that seemed ready to attack her. _My blood heals but I can use my chakra._ Chakra was another fuction of her body, an energy that she could use.

_Focus it to one point._

The woman knitted her eyebrows and tried to mimic the move that she had seen her father used against Uncle Kenji in a fight. Violet eyes flashed with determination as the chakra around her arm flared and straightened to a point, reminiscent of a blade. She might not have been a shinobi but Tomoyo would fight to the death if she had to.

She jumped back as the man smashed his fist on the spot that she had been, causing the ceiling to crumble and the cars from the uppers floor to crash down. _Would it be enough to alert someone?_ She leaned her body forward, pushing her hands forward and the man blinked when his cheeks slashed.

"You aren't going to be an easy target." He took out a kunai and Tomoyo eyed the kunai, noticing liquid dripping down from it. _Poison? Paralyzing agent?_ She would never be able to heal herself in time if the bastard threw it at her. She jumped back down and closed her eyes, recalling the hand seals that her father taught her when they first began her defensive learning.

_Ram. Horse. Snake. Dragon. Rat. Ox. Tiger._ Tomoyo spit out fire and watched as the flames turned into the shape of the dragon, swirling and turning towards the shinobi in front of her. _I don't want to kill anyone! This goes against my oath as a doctor but I have lives to save and a friend to protect._ She blinked when the man dodged the attack, substituting his jacket with himself.

"The Tsuchikage will be delighted to have you," Tomoyo ducked as the man flung the kunai at her.

Purple eyes narrowed as she grabbed the kunai. "And why would he want me?"

"Why? For your Kekkei Genkei!" The man laughed and smashes his hand against her face. "Who wouldn't want a Kekkei Genkei that can heal anything?"

She spat out blood as her whole body crumbled down to the ground. _Well that hurt but not as much as Uncle Kenji's punches or even Eisuke._ Tomoyo looked at her blood and stared at the cruel shinobi in front of her before looking down at her spilt blood. _I can't win against him._ She spent most of her energy and blood in the hospital, curing her patients and her chakra levels were drained from the constant healing.

_But this was her chance to help Eisuke._

She pushed herself up and charged straight at them, hands curled into a spring. Her body slowed down and violet eyes narrowed as the man laughed, looking absolutely delighted at the knowledge but he was the fool. He slid a front kick to her stomach, knocking all air out of her lung and the girl crumbled down to the ground.

_If she can't win then she will paint a picture of who was taking her and the kids._

She allowed her body to still and the only movements that could be seen were the small strokes of the character Earth and Shadow along with floor, message and glue as well as the shape of triangle and circle. The grey-haired woman channeled her chakra into it, thinking to herself that this was the best type of way that she could make as a message. The characters glowed slightly before sinking to the ground, blending in with the background.

The only hints were the blackness of the letter.

This was probably reckless and stupid but hopefully Eisuke would be smart enough to figure out the truth. She would send them as many clues as they needed if it meant that everyone was saved from these people.

Because she refused to be someone's tool again.

* * *

_A/N:_ What do you think of the relationship between Todoroki and Naruto? To answer a reviewer's question, yes Naruto is still being paired with Todoroki. Any other pairing can be up to debate but Todoroki and Naruto are still paired together. What do you think of the relationships and interactions between the characters? And of the flashback? Please review and tell me what you think.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

Naruto slipped on her singlet and looked down at her charging phone. It had been hours since she finished learning the ins and outs of patrol with Hawks, but not once did Shouto sent her a message. Was he angry with her for using his first name without permission? Should she apologize to him? It was considered rude but her friend was never the type to care about manners.

She chewed on her bottom lip, jumped onto her temporary bed and pulled her phone out of the charger. Her fingers scrolled to the contact number called Pretty Boy and looked at their chat history. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, uncertain about whether or not to type him a message. But Naruto guessed if she didn't want to lose a close friend then she needed to send him a message.

With that thought in her mind, Naruto began typing out her message. _Are you up?_ Her breath hitched and the blue-eyed girl looked up at the ceiling, heart ponding against her chest and her whole hand trembled. Was he going to reply to her? Or was he going to give her the silent treatment because she decided to disregard the use of his last name?

_Yes._

A small smile broke out of her face and Naruto rolled over, blue eyes fixated on the screen. A reply was good. It meant Shouto was not completely angry with her, which meant that she could continue this chat without a care in the world. She nibbled her bottom lip and sighed. Yeah, she probably needed to confirm that he was not angry before continuing with this.

_Are you angry with me?_ The words flew out of her fingers before she could stop them and Naruto hunched her shoulders, white teeth nibbling her bottom lip. Blue eyes widened and her smile broadened slightly when she read the next message from her friend.

_Naruto, why would I be angry?_

Her heart fluttered slightly at the use of her first name and there was an insane urge for her to giggle, but the blond-haired girl restrained herself. The smile faded and she wondered if Todoroki forgot about what she wrote. The thought made her heart ache slightly and the girl felt the urge to cradle her legs together, body hunched up.

She straightened her back and resumed their chat. _Because I called you by your first name._

The girl shifted her legs around till she sat cross-legged and she nibbled her bottom lip, blue eyes locked onto the screen. Was it a good idea for her to remind him this? A groan escaped from her lips and Naruto just wanted to know what the hell was wrong with her. She was acting like someone she was not when it came to Shouto and it was weird.

Warm mismatch eyes flashed before her and Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, wondering what the hell was going on with her. Her phone vibrated again, white light flashing to show her that Todoroki had indeed sent her a message again. Her heart jumped to her throat and the girl swiped the message.

_I was surprised._

Naruto blinked and typed out the next question: _Why?_

Minutes passed since she sent the message and Naruto could only watch as the writing box will appear and disappear as if her friend kept debating about something. Should she just tell him to stop? But she was curious to know why her friend had been surprised? Was it more to do with a culture shock? Or was it something else? Maybe she was being an idiot again.

_Because no one other than family has ever called me by that name._ Naruto bobbed her head and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. That made sense then. They were friends but he probably didn't think that they were close enough for either of them to use their first name. She looked out at the night sky and decided to ask her next question.

_Do you want me to go back to calling you by your last name, Todoroki?_

There was a bitter taste in her tongue at the thought of calling her friend by his last name.

_I liked it when you wrote Shouto, so you don't need to call me Todoroki, Naruto._

Naruto smiled and bounced slightly in her bed and without a second thought, the blond-haired girl sent a smiling face emoji to her friend. A part of her wonders if she was going back to her old self or if only Shouto could make her feel this way. A part of her wanted to tell Hinata, asking her about this strange feeling going through her but another part of her wanted to keep this strange feeling to herself.

She shook her head. _How was your first day of internship? _

_He was focusing on teaching me the importance of patrol and what to do._ The blue-eyed girl relaxed her shoulders and curled her lips into a frown. Her fingers hovered around the characters, wondering what to type exactly. Because a part of her still wanted to hurl after knowing what Endeavour did to him. She couldn't imagine what Shouto was going through.

_Shouto, are you going to be okay?_

The only sound that could be heard was the clock and it felt like it was telling her that time was running out. She chewed on her bottom lip, thumb hovering on the call button but then a message appeared and the girl withdrew her thumb. She relaxed her shoulders and looked down at the message.

_Naruto, it will be a while before I'm fully okay._ She chewed on her bottom lip and her shoulder became as stiff as a bow when she read the next line of Shouto's message. _I'm still trying to find a way to accept my fire side._

_You will find a way, Shouto!_ She smiled brightly and looked around her temporary room, blue eyes lingering on the photo of Team Seven that she brought. Maybe it was time that she added more photos to her apartment when she returned back home. Photos of Eri-chan, Shouto and all of her friends.

It was funny how being a different apartment made her realize this.

_How can you be certain? _ She chuckled as a pair of mismatch eyes flashed before her with confusion and curiosity. She reached her hand out, lips curled into a small smile as a part of her wanted to touch Shouto's soft cheeks and reassure him that she was just certain. But they were in two different cities and only words could be used between them.

She hated the distance between them.

_Because I believe in you and because I know you will find a way to associate fire with something good._ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and looked at the various emoji in her phone, eyebrows knitted together. Nope. Nothing could vocalize that she believed in him and instead, she decided to type out the words to him.

_You can do it. _She sent him as many emoji after that, trying to vocalize that she wanted him to cheer up. Because Naruto liked seeing Shouto smile more than seeing him brood. It really could brighten someone's day or maybe it was just her and how she considered him to be her dear friend.

_Thank you, Naruto._

Naruto beamed and typed out her next messages. _This is what friends do, isn't it? We cheer each other up._

The world around her might be dark but she felt a lightness in her heart, a lightness that seemed to becoming more and more apparent whenever she talked to him. She looked up at the ceiling, wishing not for the first time in her life that she had a mother to talk to. Someone that she could question about this strange, wonderful feeling that made her want to bounce and smile.

The feeling that made her think that maybe she could become the girl that she always portrayed to the world.

_What about your internship, Naruto? How did it go?_

Naruto smiled and put a hand over her head as her blue eyes looked out at the sky. _Hawks made us patrol with him and I think the bastard is secretly trying to give me an idea to use my Quirk in a way to fly, because he doesn't only walk! He flies! Luckily for me, I can run really fast to catch up with him. Tokoyami is struggling to catch up with him._

_Hawks is known for being fast._ Todoroki commented.

Naruto bobbed her head. _Yeah but none of his sidekicks can even catch up to him. It kind of makes me wonder why he even have sidekicks if he is going to do all the work. He might act like he is carefree and lazy but he is always on his feet._

_Do you think you made the right choice with him, Naruto?_ Naruto smiled at his words and typed out her answer. She doesn't know how long the two of them spent on their phones but the blonde knew by the end of their conversation that she really didn't want to stop.

She just wanted to remain in that bubble and forget all of her problems.

* * *

Police seemed to surround the crime scene, their cameras out as they took photos of the burnt marks on the ceiling and the floor as well as the crashed cars on the floor. Kenji grinded his teeth together and flexed his finger as his eyes glowed with rage. Either his niece had been a fighter and went toe to toe with the shinobi, which would have been impressive since Tomoyo must have been using her chakra non-stop in healing her patients, or those people were planning to kill his niece.

If they knew what Tomoyo's Kekkei Genkei was then she was most likely to be alive but kidnapped, or his niece was dead and this was the remains that happened. _Knowing that girl, she probably fought as best as she could._ Kenji flickered his eyes to his younger brother, who grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt and proceeded to drag him straight to the edge of the hospital's carpark.

"You son of a bitch!" Asa snarled. "Do you see the mess? Do you know what happened because of your nitwit of a son for speaking out—"

"That nitwit is your next Uzushiokage and your nephew!" Kenji snarled. His fingers itched to slam his younger brother against the wall and remind him which one of them was the leader. No matter how furious Asa could be, this was not the way that they needed to talk in public.

His brother growled. "And Tomo is your niece! My oldest child and only daughter! The only physical reminder that I have of my fucking wife! You think I give a shit that Eisuke will take over your position! My daughter is missing and probably exhausted from overusing her chakra in the hospital! My baby girl is gone and it is all your fault! Find her, you son of bitch!"

"I'm fucking pissed too, Asa!" Kenji snarled and redness clouded his eyes. His blood boiled and his nostrils flared with rage as he thought of what his niece was going to go through. There was always a possibility of death for Tomoyo but until they see her dead body, Kenji considered that woman to be alive. "But how the fuck can we find her if the damn police is here!"

"Get your useless son to do it!" Asa snarled. "And go to the Elemental Countries! Because I want their blood for taking my daughter away! Because those burnt marks are from the fire jutsu that _I taught her_! They haven't faded one bit which means those son of bitches decided to attack my baby girl when she was exhausted! "

Kenji looked around the hospital and smashed his hand against the wall. The whole building trembled and the police looked at them, their eyes flashing with understanding and sympathy but Kenji doubt that those assholes understood the importance of Tomoyo being missing. Tomoyo was one of them. She was their resident healer and the only one that could talk some sense into his reckless son.

The only one that was holding his brother together.

She and Haruto were his brother's world and it felt like the whole world was crashing again just like twelve years ago.

"You think I don't want to fucking make them pay for taking Tomo-chan?" Kenji snarled at his brother, hazel eyes blazing with rage. "She is _my niece_ and a _member of the Uzumaki Clan._ But I can't simply go in there and fucking kill every village, thinking that Tomoyo would be there. I will need a village and then I will make them pay!"

"And if they make my daughter a breeding cow?" Asa snarled. "Those son of bitches chose to target Tomoyo for a reason. This whole time my daughter thought it was going to be Endeavour's daughter but those bastards thought she was more important to them!"

Kenji rubbed the side of his head as a throbbing sensation played all around his body and all his thoughts swirled around them. _Tomoyo has a healing Kekkei Genkei, which is powerful in her own right. Eisuke and Kiko have water Kekkei Genkei but I doubt the Hidden Village would take interest._ Dread crept up in his stomach as he thought of which Uzumaki could be their target._ I better ground that brat._

Akane could teleport and his daughter had been making theories of what she could do with her Kekkei Genkei if she mastered it. Theories that Kenji hoped was just too good to be true. _A mutation._ That was what the doctors described when Akane revealed her Kekkei Genkei at the age of four. Shit. If they target Tomoyo, knowing how rare her Quirk was then it would be a matter of time before Akane was next.

"When was Tomoyo taken?" He demanded, shaking his head from his thought.

"9pm!" Asa grineded his teeth together. "From what they showed me in that tape, she was on her way to her car and then an explosion took place, but I know those burnt marks aren't from a damn explosion. I demanded to take the tape but those son of bitches refused to give it to me to check—"

"Because we hold no power here!" Kenji snapped at him. His blood boiled even more and his heart rate accelerated as the blood inside of him pumped even more vigorously. A part of him wanted to yank those police, slam them against the wall and tell them that they could handle this better than them. But in the eyes of the Japanese Government, they were refugees and civilians.

He hated this.

"Who cares about power? I want my child!" Asa snarled. "Tomo and Haruto are the stars of my life, the last reminder of my wife and if anything happens to them then you can bet that I will give the whole country hell."

Kenji slammed his fist over his brother's head. "We will give them hell but we can't go around accusing people. There are five Hidden Villages for us to go through and I'm not about to go and accuse every single one of them. I will get Eisuke to double check the area! Tomoyo is your child and if my child can act like an idiot, then your child will probably have left a clue that can help us figure it out."

"Kenji-niisan, I can't lose her." His brother trembled and despair leaked out of his voice. Tears dribbled out of his brother's violet eyes and the man sniffed. "I want my daughter. _I want my baby girl. I need Tomo-chan to be safe like I promise her mother."_

Kenji hugged his brother and offered a sad smile to the police officers. He cradled his brother's body close to him as his nostrils felt the burning scent of blood, like it always did whenever he recalled of the last tragedy of their clan, and another pair of violet eyes flashed before him. _Ren-niisan was always better in this emotional shit._ But he couldn't play excuses because he was the oldest child now.

He had to be the protector.

"Tomoyo is smart and that girl was the one that left clues the first time around when she got kidnapped by those assholes in the Quirk Ring," he reminded his brother quietly. "Back then, Tomoyo refused to learn how to use her chakra even though you insisted she learnt it. Now, she knows how to use it better and that girl would leave us clues. We just need Eisuke to get the evidence or that friend of his…Hawks. We will find her."

"And if we don't?"

"Then we will inform the government of the Elemental Countries." Kenji declared quietly. "Mess with the Uzumaki Clan and I will make good of the nickname that I earned in the war."

He would cause a Fourth Shinobi War if his niece was not returned back to him safe and sound. He would even swallow his pride and go to the Toad Sannin for help because a member of his clan was stolen again. There was no Yellow Flash to save his clans member and knowing this brought a bitter taste to his tongue.

His fingers hovered on his phone keyboard and he sent a message to his son.

_Tomoyo was taken, you little shit and your uncle wants blood. Get your lazy ass off that chair and start doing some real work because if you don't fix yours and Naruto's mistake, then I will fix it for the both of you__** and Eisuke, you don't want to see a Third World War.**_

* * *

"Do you have any idea why all of us are being called here?" Naruto asked the sidekicks as everyone gathered around the loungue. Tokoyami let out a small yawn as silence hang around the whole lounge, which was a strange site when yesterday it had been buzzing with life, chatter and excitement filling it. The sidekick rubbed his chin and shook his head, eyebrows also knitted together in confusion.

The doors of the lounge swung opened as Hawks walked in with another smiling hero. _Uzushiokage._ Dread crept up in her stomach and the blonde looked around, blue eyes darting to find the best way to escape. It felt like she was caged and there was only no way for her to get out. Breath escaped from her lips and the blonde felt the bubbles of anger coming out of her throat.

There was no denying that Uzushiokage was a handsome man. He had red hair that barely seemed to touch his shoulders that seemed to have a whirlpool headband wrapped around his head. His eyes seemed to be more almond-shaped and were a brilliant shade of green that reminded Naruto of the jungle and twinkled with kindness and warmth.

Despite knowing this, if Naruto knew that Uzushiokage was friends with Hawks then she would have never chosen him.

She grinded her teeth together and the blonde could only glare daggers at Uzushiokage, which did not go unnoticed by Hawks. The man flickered his eyes between the two of them, lips curled into a small frown as his golden eyes flashed with curiosity. He slapped on a smile and shook his head, nudging the man at the crowds.

Uzushiokage's eyes landed on her and the man offered her a friendly smile. _It's an act._ Naruto grinded her teeth together and her jaws throbbed and ached at the building pressure. A part of her just wanted to slap that smile off and tell him that she wanted nothing to do with him. That she was not here to get anyone's acknowledgment or anything.

Stupid Aizawa-sensei and his demands that they all acted in a behavior that reflected the school.

"They are your sidekicks," Uzushiokage reminded Hawks. "And so you need to explain it to them."

"I thought you would want to bedazzle them with your charm," Hawks declared, shrugging at him. The man clapped his hands together, signaling for everyone to stand up straight and act accordingly to them. "Now I don't really do this whole formal thing but Uzushiokage and me have decided to do a team up in order to find those missing kids. Now for our interns, I want to tell you that this thing doesn't usually—"

A ringtone cut through the speech and Hawks swirled his head at the Uzushiokage. The man opened his mouth to apologize but then the english words _September _came out of the phone and the Uzushiokage turned pale. Everyone blinked as the man looked down at his phone and all blood drained out of his face.

"_Son of a bitch!"_ The Uzushiokage cried.

Hawks raised his eyebrows. "What happened?"

"The kidnappings got even worse," Uzushiokage declared, slapping his whole body as if to stop it from trembling. His whole body trembled and rage alongside fear flashed through his eyes. The man took several deep breaths as he ran his hand through his red-hair, distress colouring his features.

Hawks eyed the trembling man. "What do you mean it got worse?"

"My cousin just got herself kidnapped," Uzushiokage declared. Silence reined throughout the whole office as everyone processed what was just said. Everyone flickered their eyes at each other, uncertain of how to deal with this piece of information. Hawks pressed his lips together and eased the trembling man, offering him a smile.

Naruto looked down at her shoes as her stomach turned around. It felt like the world around her seemed to be miffled and the only thing that could be was her own racing heartbeat and the only thing she could feel was the acid creeping up her throat. Before it had been kids but now those shinobi were climbing their way up, taking adults.

"Uzushiokage, you can't be in this mission if—"

"I have to be in this mission," Uzushiokage declared. "I have to save my cousin and I need to reassure that old goat that she can be found. Those assholes have decided to change their pattern."

Hawks frowned and looked at him. "How old is your cousin?"

"In another couple of weeks, she will turn 22." Uzushiokage answered, running his hand through his hair. The man tapped his feet and his green eyes locked onto her. No anger shone through those eyes. The only emotion shining through them were desperation and a pleading for her to just step up and tell them. Like he thought that she knew who took his cousin. But Naruto didn't know who was doing this.

Gaara and her hadn't even narrowed it down.

"This doesn't fit the pattern," Hawks muttered, rubbing his chin and flexing his wings. "Are you certain that it is the same people?"

Uzushiokage nodded. "Tomoyo is older than the stolen kids but Asa-ojisan just wrote that the police could not find anything wrong with the video, which showed her having a bad explosion but we know Tomoyo. Even if she had a bad explosion, she can heal herself because of her Quirk!"

"Uzushiokage, if the tape shows—"

"Hawks, for once in your fucking life…trust me on this and if I'm wrong then you can rub it in my face!" Uzushiokage trembled. "We need to go to the damn crime scene and check for whatever happened there. If Tomo-chan had been kidnapped then she would leave a clue again, just like she did for Endeavour, 15 years ago in the Quirk Ring. If she is dead then I want to see her body for myself!"

Desperation leaked out of his tone and tears almost seemed to be leaking out of his eyes. The man sucked in a deep breath and his green eyes locked onto the golden eyes of his fellow hero. Hawks stared back at him and looked at the sidekicks and interns, who stared at him. His eyes landed on Naruto and the girl straightened her back, causing the man to sigh and raise his hands in defeat.

Naruto smiled widely and her heart began to slam against her chest, ready to burst out of there as she processed that he was going to take them to the scene of the crime. The knowledge of this made Naruto itched to summon Gamakichi and asked him to send a message to Gaara, to reassure him that they were probably going to get a better clue.

She wanted to tell him that they had someone that was old enough to leave a clue and she might be able to get a clue on which Hidden Village was acting very greedy. That they could prevent a war from breaking out if they found her clue. No, they were going to find her clue.

There was no way that she could let a war happen.

_She doesn't want blood in her hands again or see another child cry again._

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the development of Todoroki and Naruto's relationship? And of the interactions and characters? What do you think of Naruto's development throughout the two books?**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_And how is my favorite brat?"_

Kenji ruffled Kushina's hair and pulled out a chair, hazel eyes locked onto the seal that their great-aunt had no doubt taught her. His young cousin scowled, swatting his hand away from her hair before finally glaring at him. He chuckled, not caring one bit that his cousin was annoyed with his behavior. It wasn't every day that he could visit his favorite cousin, not when their grandfather was always sending him to do mission.

"_I'm not a brat!"_ Kushina yelled, puffing her cheeks at him and arms folded against her chest.

Kenji hummed a little tune, looking at his cousin from head to toe before picking up one of the empty scrolls. Kushina raised her eyebrows and he grinned before whacking her lightly on the head, causing the young girl to wince and wrinkle her nose at him. "_To me, you will always be the brat, who is causing unnecessary trouble for Gramps."_

"_Well Gramps doesn't have the same belief as you!"_ Violet eyes brightened and gleamed with so much joy. The red-haired girl twisted her chair around and leaned forward, lips curled into a bright smile. A smile that Kenji hadn't seen since the death of his uncle two years ago. "_He thinks I'm responsible enough to take care of his oldest sister!"_

A part of him feels happy that their grandfather was allowing Kushina have more responsibility. _That their grandfather can finally look Kushina in the eye without remembering his uncle._ But he felt weary too. He knows their grandfather's sister had a grandchild that could take care of her better than Kushina.

Kushina was only seven and she barely knows how to take care of herself at times.

He recalls of a conversation between their grandfather and the Third Hokage when he thinks carefully of her words. At the time, Kenji didn't mean to overhear the conversation between them. He just wanted to find that brat Asa and scold him for leaving his medical books scattered around the living room.

"_I presume that Mito-sama has told you why I have decided to come and visit you."_ Okay so maybe Kenji did want to hear it and maybe Kushina wasn't the only busybody in their family. He always heard of Mito-obaachan and her skill in sealing, but he never heard his grandfather talk about her. "_Is there anyone that you think is capable of being the second Jinchuuriki? Mito-sama made it quite clear that only an Uzumaki can handle the Kyuubi."_

There had been a slight pause before his grandfather cleared his throat. "_There is someone that I think is capable but there are few conditions that needs to be met…"_

Kenji never heard what happened next because Ren found him and proceeded to drag him away from the study, telling him that he shouldn't overhear conversations between two old people. But now as he looked at his smiling cousin, Kenji felt a pit of dread and anger creeping up in him. His grandfather wouldn't do this to Kushina, would he? Kushina only had them now.

Kenji never says it out loud but he doesn't have any sisters. His mother died giving birth to Asa, who was unfortunately a rude little shit that thinks he knows everything because he read a book. But Kushina was different. His uncle had given him Kushina to hold, telling him that _Kushina needs to be protected from every bad thing._ Kenji never takes anything seriously but he does takes his uncle's words seriously.

No, maybe he was wrong because _Kushina was his grandfather's favourite grandchild._ His grandfather couldn't be cold-blooded and tear their whole family apart by sending her to Konoha.

"_Kenji-niisan?"_ Violet eyes flashed with confusion and Kenji was reminded again of just how young his cousin was. A part of him feels like telling her of what he heard but then he recalls of the importance of alliances. He also thinks that maybe he was being a fool and that maybe it was as Kushina claims.

After all, Tsunade was a busy shinobi and probably had no time to take care of her dying grandmother.

He makes so many excuses to himself as Kushina stares at him with so much confusion. Her eyes looks at him with concern and a frown plays on her lips, a frown that Kenji doesn't want to see on her. He plays with her because he feels uncomfortable whenever she was sad. He distracts her because he really doesn't know how to deal with emotions.

"_It is going to be so boring if you leave me alone with Asa and Ren-niisan."_ He smiles widely and hopes that it would be enough to reassure himself that he is just overthinking things. His cousin giggles and nods her head, looking so happy that he would be left with two killjoys.

The little brat.

"_Don't worry Kenji-niisan, it isn't forever!"_ Kushina declared, smiling widely at him and looking like a ball of sunshine, not like the little gloomy girl that has been moping around over her parents death. That was how he wants his cousin to be, because Kushina brought joy to their clan. "_I will visit you and when I am older, I will come back and live here!"_

He smiles and ruffles her hair again.

When Kenji looks back at this day, he curses himself for not confronting his suspicions and begging his grandfather to pick someone that wasn't Kushina. Because those words never came true and he only learns of what happened to Kushina when he sees her child standing before him.

* * *

"This looks like a scene from the movie, not something you will expect from an explosion." Hawks commented as the seven of them walked into the hospital carpark. The remains of broken cars could be seen alongside a couple of burnt marks on the ground and floor. Tokoyami and a few of the other sidekicks nodded while the Uzushiokage rushed to the tape off area, green eyes flaring with urgency.

Hawks flickered his eyes to her. "Do you know anything about his cousin?"

"Are you asking me because of our last names?" Naruto asked, raising a single eyebrow at him. He hummed and bobbed his head, not bothering to even deny the fact that he was curious about her relationship with Uzushiokage. She curled her lips into a scowl before shaking her head at them.

"You know people can share the same last name and not be related right?"

Hawks laughed. "Yeah but so far the Uzumaki that I have met seemed to be all related to each other. There is the Uzushiokage and then there was that kid in my elementary school."

Naruto wrinkled her nose and looked out to the tape off area. There wasn't much that could be seen but from the rundown of information that Uzushiokage gave the group, it probably had been a day since the attack. There was some dried blood scattered around the floor, hinting that this kidnapping attempt did have a fight involved. _The fact that she was even able to fight tells us that_

"Seems like he was able to convince them to let us take a look around first without losing his temper," Hawks muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. The male looked around the crime scene, brown eyes fixated on the floor. He knelt down and picked up a small piece of paper, twirling it around and his brown eyes flashed with curosity. Naruto narrowed her own eyes and looked at the small piece of paper.

Blue eyes darted everywhere and blue eyes widened when she sees another tiny piece of paper near the door.

"Everyone search for any clues that the police might have not noticed," Hawks ordered, wiping the dirt off of his clothes and brown eyes flickered to the burnt marks. The man pressed his lips together and darted his eyes to the various cars that seemed to be in the car. "This was no explosion like the police thought."

"Told you so!" Uzushiokage declared, fixing his headband. "Tomo-chan might be a doctor but she is no slouch."

"Yes Sir!" Everyone scrambled and began looking around. Some of the sidekicks went to the area that was taped off, their eyes eager in the search for the remains of Uzushiokage's cousin. Naruto took a deep breath and curled her lips into a frown when the rusty scent of blood tickled her nostrils. Putting her nose onto the ground, the girl smelled it again. _Yeah, there is some fresh blood here._

The scent seemed to get stronger and stronger, the closer Naruto get to the taped off area. She looked up, blue eyes fixated on the burnt marks on the floor that seemed to be unnatural in shape. _It looks almost like a dragon._ Blue eyes narrowed at the thought and the blond-haired girl knelt down, fingers rubbing the burnt marks.

No ash.

_This was definitely a shinobi attack._ The confirmation brought a bitter taste to her tongue because it really did mean that it wasn't just children being targeted, but also adults. She flickered her eyes around, blue eyes fixated on a tiny mark that seemed to be closer towards the Uzushiokage. _I wish I had Hinata here with me to read it or even Setsuna._ There was only so much distance that her eyes could take.

"Eisuke!"

Everyone looked up and blinked when they saw two men in his early thirties walked up to the edge of the taped off area. The one thing that stood out about the red-haired man wasn't his red hair or his similarities to the Uzushiokage, no it was the single scar running across his whole face. A scowl decorated his face and the Uzushiokage paled, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

The other man looked almost similar to the red-haired man and if Naruto had to guess on looks alone, she guessed that those two men were brothers. If the man with the hazel eyes looked terrifying with his scar and furious eyes, then the man with violet eyes was monstrous. Rage colored his eyes and even from where Naruto stood, the desperation and rage rolled off of him.

"Pops! A-Asa-ojisan."

Silence hung between everyone and the icy wind nipped Naruto to the bones as the two men stared at Uzushiokage with irritation. The two men swept their eyes around the area, only to froze at the sight of her. Both men parted their lips and their eyes seemed to grow large as they looked at her like she was some kind of ghost.

Naruto grunted and scowled at them, twirling her head away as the blood inside of her boiled and her nostrils flared with annoyance. Acid almost leaked out of her tongue and the temptation to bark at them was great. She wanted them to look away from her.

This did not go unnoticed by Hawks. The blond-haired man rubbed his stubble chin and looked at the three Uzumaki with brown eyes flashing with curiosity. This went on for minutes and minutes with everyone staring at each other as they processed what had just been said.

"Wow his family members barely looks older than us!" The sidekick declared, looking at the Uzumaki men with wide eyes.

"My daughter is missing and the brat only cares about how we look!" the man with the purple-eyes grumbled. Hawks offered the man a smile and looked at his sidekick, who had the decency to give an apology.

Hawks offered them a little bow. "We are at your service but before we can begin the search, will you give us a little bit more information to work on. Had there been anyone stalking your daughter? What is her Quirk? You know details that can help us piece up the puzzle of who took her. Do you even have a picture for us to look at?"

The purple-eyed man nodded and the two heroes hoped over the yellow tapes. _If they are cousins then why the hell are they going through this process? Uzushiokage knows what his cousin looks like._ Naruto shook her head and darted her eyes to the area, nose twitching at the burning scent of blood.

"Do you know Uzushiokage's family, Uzumaki?" Tokoyami asked, drawing Naruto's attention away from the spot that Uzushiokage had been stepping. Her classmate had his eyes fixated on the hazel-eyed man that seemed to stare at her like she was a phantom. The blond-haired girl froze at the question, blood draining out of her face at the question. Goosebumps formed around her arms and the girl could almost taste bitterness and rage in her tongue.

She gulped down a lump and shook her head. "I'm not related to him."

That was the end of their conversation and the boy resumed his search, black eyes eager to find any clues that could help in the search of the missing woman. While everyone kept looking around, or in the case of Hawks and Uzushiokage reassuring the furious father, Naruto glided straight to where the scent of blood seemed to be the strongest.

The blond-haired teen knelt down, white teeth nibbling her pink lips as her blue eyes took in the characters on the ground. It was small, barely noticeable and Naruto probably would have missed it if it wasn't for her nose. A blood circle seemed to be drawn out, almost burnt to the ground if that was even possible, and inside the circle were only two characters. _Earth and shadow._

That didn't make much sense with that much information.

_But if her father comes from the Elemental Countries then she knows that it will be a terrible idea to combine the characters._ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, pulled out her phone and took a picture of it before pocketing it inside her pouch. She placed her fingers around the marks, lips curled into a frown when she felt the smoothness and dryness of the letters.

_Earth and shadow by itself doesn't make sense but if I combine the characters then it would be Tsuchikage._ She shivered and chewed her lips hard till only the metallic taste of her blood clocked her tongue. Her ears twitched as loud stomps echoed throughout the hospital's carpark.

Forcing herself to look up, Naruto blinked at the sight of Endeavour charging through the carpark. _If he is here then that would mean…_she jerked her head to the entrance and blinked at the sight of Todoroki following behind him. Blue eyes fixated on her friend, blowing wide when she noticed how his jacket seemed to clung to his body as if to remind her that he did have a chest.

_A very strong chest._ A voice in her mind whispered and Naruto felt her cheeks growing red, silently cursing at herself for suddenly getting flustered. This was her friend. Her dear friend and friends did not check their friend's chest, especially when there was a mission at hand. But did he always had such a defined….

No, she could not go there.

_Well his chest had always been…_

She groaned and smacked herself in the face, causing Shouto to turn his whole body to her. Blood rushed to her cheeks and Naruto swirled her head away, tugging her collar a little bit as sweat began to drip out of her body. _What the hell is happening? _Naruto doesn't like this feeling.

It was a terrifying feeling.

"Endeavour, what are you doing here?" The purple-eyed man asked, bowing down and schooling his expression.

Endeavour looked at the burnt marks on the ground. "Fuyumi told me what happened to your daughter and I want to see if she left any pieces of paper like she did the last time that she got kidnapped."

"Oh I was wondering who would leave so many pieces of paper , Endeavour." Hawks declared, pointing to the small ripped pieces of paper that seemed to cling to the floor. Everyone blinked and looked around with the purple-eyed man letting out a sigh of relief. "But why pieces of paper?"

"Tomo-chan always have a paper with her," Eisuke explained. "If she isn't too busy studying to become the best doctor in the world then she is doing one of those complicated doodles. She likes to keep herself busy at all times."

_Well this isn't good! If any heroes find the shinobi then we are screwed!_ She needed to get out of here and alert Gaara of what was happening. If it was Tsuchikage like Naruto think it is, then they needed to act quickly before another war breaks out. She needed Gaara to go there and convince the Daimyo or at least send some shinobi to do recon, break in there and get those kids out.

Naruto never noticed that only two people watched her slip out of the tape and head outside.

* * *

"You know who took my niece."

Naruto stood up from her kneeling position and swirled her head around, blue eyes growing wide at the sight of the hazel-eyed man gazing at her with eyes flaring with irritation and anger. There was no one inside the alley except a couple of stray cats and dogs. The cool wind gazed her cheeks, almost as if to comfort her and stop her from trembling.

Hazel eyes looked down at her with no emotion and the blond-haired teen hunched her shoulders, fingers trembling as sweat began to cling to her body. Her blue eyes darted everywhere as her mind tried to think of what to tell the man. Her throat itched and burned as if she needed to quench it down with water. Finally, the girl gulped down her lump and straightened her back.

"I don't know jack shit," she declared, straightening her back and blue eyes turned as dark as the raging ocean. Her lips curled into a sneer as the words from that Uzumaki girl echoed in her ear. _I refuse to acknowledge you as an Uzumaki._ Her body trembled and her fingers dug against the palm of her hand. "And don't come near me, Old Man! I don't want to have anything to do with you!"

"You know when you talk like that, I remember my cousin." The man declared, looking down at her. He clicked his tongue and his hazel eyes seemed to be dancing around her features. "You even look like the brat too and I always wonder if she ever spawn a child if she would have a child looking like you."

Her body froze and a tiny feeling curled around in her stomach, but that Akane flashed before her eyes and everything came crashing down like a boulder. This was not acceptance. This was a man that was only recalling the past; not a man telling her that he accepted her.

"She was also a bit of a spitfire like you…Naruto."

He was trying to manipulate her and make her think that he knew her parents, but she was not going to fall for this trap.

"I don't know jack shit."

The man pressed his lips into a thin line and loomed over her, his hazel eyes glinted with rage and fury at her words. He clenched and unclenched his hands as his nostrils flared. A shiver broke out of her body and her legs began to wobble but she steadied herself to the beat of the car honks. The man slammed his fist against the wall, caging her in and Naruto bared her teeth at him.

"You may be under the Toad Sannin's protection but you are still too inexperienced to challenge me," the man snarled at her. "And disrespect me. Your actions alongside my idiotic son's actions caused this whole fucking mess in Japan. Children are going missing and a member of the clan is gone! If you are a proper shinobi then you would take responsibility for your actions!"

A lump formed in her throat and the wind must be blowing hard because her legs was trembling like she needed to go to the bathroom. She grinded her teeth together and felt tears streaming down her eyes with a force that seemed to be greater than any speed she could run.

"You think I don't fucking know that it is my fault!" She screamed, body trembling like a piece of twig. The man gazed at her, lips curled into a thin line and his hand seemed ready to touch her but the girl smacked his arm back. "You think I fucking realize that this would happen? I wasn't thinking properly that day!"

_Just let me know that you are listening to me._

She just wanted to let Hinata-chan know that she was _fine._ That she shouldn't worry about her and that she messed up big time with her.

_The nameless orphan._

She wanted the whole world to know her name too. Maybe it was subconscious but Naruto just wanted so badly to show that bitch that this nameless orphan could win a whole tournament! That she was more than that title.

_I guess I was being selfish._

"I know I screwed up big time!" She gulped down a lump and stared at her hands, almost uncertain of the words coming out of her mouth. Not once in her life did she ever that she screwed up. If a mission went wrong, it was because of Sakura or even because Sasuke refused to work together with her. But…she messed up to in the missions.

Sometimes Sasuke had been willing to work with her but Naruto just wanted to surpass him and make him acknowledge her like he did when they were little kids.

Naruto inhaled and clenched her hands together, tossing the man's arm away from the pillar. "But I'm going to fix my fuck up! Believe it or not, you shitty old man, I actually want to clean up and fix my mistakes!" She cleared her throat as the earth from beneath her trembled. "I want to protect all the children of this world from America to even the Elemental Countries because I don't want them to suffer."

_Naruto-neechan! Look at my new dress!_

Her throat clogged up.

_Why am I alive? Why do I even exist?_

Gaara's teal eyes flashed before her and Naruto realized that she really doesn't want another child to ask those questions.

_They were __**my**__ family, Naruto!_

She grinded her teeth together when Sasuke's eyes flashed before her.

_It was just training Naruto-chan!_

Training or not, Naruto doesn't want to see bruises on Hinata-chan or to watch her cry her heart out because her father doesn't understand that Hinata-chan was gentle. She clenched her hands into a fist and a pair of mismatch eyes flashed before her, his pain-laced voice echoing in her ear.

_She told me that she couldn't stand the sight of my left side before dumping boiling water on me._

"I don't want the children of every country to see blood!" She steadied her hand against the wall as the shadows around them shifted. Her throat dries up like a water on a scotching hot ground. "I don't want any children to become an orphan like me or see them suffer!"

The only sound that could be heard was the hissing wind and Naruto grinded her teeth together, blue eyes daring him to accuse her of not trying to take responsibility of her actions. Her legs trembled and the girl smacked her legs like how a mother would smack a child. No time for her to act like this.

"You are a naïve little brat," Naruto blinked as the man clicked his tongue. He rubbed his shoulders, fingers digging through every pressure point in an attempt to loosen his tension. "But this type of shit can't be done alone and the clan wants answers on who took Tomo-chan. From the elder of the clan to my little shit of a brother, so you will give us answers by tonight. If you don't come, I will go to the government and inform them of which _countries_ are the culprit."

Her body trembled like one of those tube man that she had seen in front of the skyscraper and it was not until the man left her that she slumped down against the wall. _I need to inform Gaara and I need him there to help explain why that would be a crappy idea._ She steadied her hand, fingers going together but only to stop at the sight of Shouto standing before her.

He strode towards her, mismatch hair flying in the air and his dual-toned eyes locked onto her trembling legs. Goosebumps formed in her body as her throat burned. Did he hear everything? She placed her hands on either side of the wall, pushing herself up but she must still be a little bit shaken because she stumbled slightly. Her body leaned forward and she thinks to herself that she doesn't want to deal with this too.

Shouto wrapped his left hand around her wrist, steadying her from falling down again. Heat seemed to be pouring out of his fingers, making her shiver and the girl inhaled as his husky scent waffled into her nose, relaxing her in some way.

Mismatch eyes looked down at her, gazing at her and fixated at her neck before dancing to her eyes. Her eyes flickered down at the wrapped hand, at the fingers that seemed to radiate as much warmth as the radiator that she used in the winters. Taking in a deep breath, she placed her right hand and unclasped his hand, dropping her head as she did so.

_What did he hear just now._

Her friend darted his eyes everywhere, lips curled into a frown when he saw the pedestrians that seemed to decide to come through this alley, now of all times. He leaned his body closer to her till their chests were barely a centimeter apart, allowing her to feel the mixture of heat and coldness coming from him.

"Shouto, how much did you hear?" She trembled and her blue eyes darted everywhere as the musky scent of her friend clouded her nose. Inhaling, the girl looked up at him and gazed at his mismatch eyes as her heart pounded deeply against her chest, almost like how Sakura used to pound the door to her apartment.

The dual-toned boy looked down at her, only just a couple of centimetres away from her face, and asked. "Enough for me to ask what did you do for that man to accuse you and his son to cause the disappearances of those kids and that woman."

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the flashback between Kushina and Kenji? Kenji might seem harsh to Naruto but he had his reason for threatening her in this way. Could anyone figure out what might be the reason? And does anyone want Gaara to be paired? And if so with who?**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed.**

* * *

_Why don't I have a family?_

It was a question Naruto asked after starting the Academy. A question that haunts and looms over her shoulder whenever school ends and it was time for the parents to pick up their kids. All of the parents ignored her, their eyes looking at her like she was one of those bugs they wished to squish, as they picked up their kids with smiles on their faces and their hands clasped together.

Naruto understands she was an orphan but most of the orphans had some form of family to pick them, from their adopted parents to even the caretaker that looks at her like she was a monster. She plasters on a smile and bows her head because that was what polite people do, or so Mikoto tries to explain to her when Naruto tells her about going to Hinata-chan's home.

Hiashi Hyuga still didn't like her even though Naruto does what Mikoto-obaachan tells her what to do.

"_I can't believe the Hokage allows her to become a shinobi."_ The matron scowls at her, dark eyes looking at her like she was a pest. Naruto trembles and hunches her back as if a cold blast of wind was thrown at her, before forcing herself to smile at the woman. Naruto knows the matron can't hurt her anymore. That she was safe because of her small apartment, but sometimes she dreams she will come in and hit her again.

Her fellow orphans ran passed her, giggling and laughing as they clasped the matron's hand. Bright smiles plays on their faces and Naruto feels a burning ache in her heart as the woman kneels down, smiling gently at them and asking about their day in school.

_Why does she treat them like they were her own kids? Why am I always different?_

"_We had fun!"_ They cried and Naruto just stares at them, watching as the children skip and laugh. She wanted that. To have someone ask her about her day. To have someone pick her up and make her smile like there was no tomorrow. All she wanted was to have some form of family.

"_Bye-bye, Naruto!"_ Choji cried, waving his hand at her before rushing to his father. She smiled so tightly that she thinks her cheeks were crying for her to stop. Her blue eyes fixates in the way Choji's father ruffles his hair and hands him a snack for him to eat, earning cheers from the boy.

"_Oniichan!"_ Sasuke whizzed past her and clasps his brother's hands, dark eyes twinkling with joy at the sight of his brother. Just when he was only a few steps away from his big brother, did the boy turn around and look at her. Black eyes looks at her hesitantly as if silently asking her if it was okay for him to have some alone time with his big brother.

Naruto understands Itachi was rarely around and how her friend just wants to spend time with him. She wants to join them. She likes them. They were nice to her. They play with her and takes her back to their home at times, but their father always gives her those _cold eyes_. And today she doesn't want to deal with his eyes.

So she smiled, closed her eyes and lies. "_I'm going to play in the playground so you can go back home with Itachi!"_

Sasuke beams at her and waves his hand before dragging his brother away from her. Naruto watched them with a smile plastered on her face, body trembling and there was a stinging sensation in her eyes again. She rubbed her eyes, wiping away her tears and just stand in the side.

"_They let __**her**__ enter the Academy?"_ The words weren't loud, barely loud enough for Naruto to hear but she still hears it. _**Her.**_ That is what the other parents called her. Most of them look at her like how the matron did. Not a single one of them looks at her like she was a child.

The parents looks down at her and Naruto feels herself whither at their eyes. Blue eyes turned completely blank as the parents proceeds to drag their pink-haired daughter, who smiles shyly at them and tells her about her day. Blue eyes focuses on the tight grip and locks onto how the shy little girl seems to get louder and happier around her parents.

Maybe it was because her classmate feels protected with her family.

Naruto looks around and realizes she was the only one standing in front of the door. All the other students were with their families, smiling and giggling with a few of them hiding behind their legs. Other children were being carried over their shoulders.

She stares at their backs and looks to her side, where her hand lies limp and cold. She wants what those kids have, what the orphans in the orphanage have. Someone to pick her up from school, smiling and giving her warmth. Someone that she could hide from those _cold eyes_ of the other parents. Most of all she didn't want to feel so alone.

_Granny loves you._ The words were a whisper in the wind and Naruto imagines that there was a grey-haired woman with kind, _familiar _brown eyes looking back at her with such sad eyes. Even when Naruto is fifteen, she wonders from her loneliness that she imagines the woman. That she tries to picture a grandmother-figure that loves her and wants to take her back home.

If Kami exist then Naruto will only ask him for one thing.

She won't asks for him to return her parents back to her or even ask him to take away those eyes. Staring at the distant bodies of the leaving parents and their kids, Naruto thinks she would ask him to give her a family. To give her a person that will protect her from all those scary eyes, someone that will hug her and comfort her.

Naruto looks up at the blue sky and prays.

She will continue to pray but as the years pass, she stops praying.

It took eleven years for Kami to answer her prayer.

* * *

"What did you do for that man to accuse you and his son to cause the disappearances of those kids and that woman?"

Naruto looked at Shouto, her whole body trembling at the hardened tone from her friend. She inhaled, taking in the soba scent of her friend's breath and those mismatch eyes filled with concern, curiosity but most of all suspicion. Suspicion of what that asshole accused her of doing.

No, what she did.

"I can't tell you," Naruto said, clearing her throat and blue eyes avoiding the searching eyes of her friend. She wanted to tell him so badly of what she did. To be free from the shackles of this burden. To have someone that wasn't Gaara or the other shinobi comfort her. She wanted comfort, not the constant blame for what she knew was her mistake.

Shouto looks down at her, his soft hair tickling her forehead and mismatch eyes stared down at her. Honesty and suspicion radiated from his eyes, rolling off by the waves and Naruto almost raised her hand. Her fingers ready to touch his cheeks, to reassure him that she never meant for any of this to happen but she dropped her hand, motionlessly to her side.

"You _can't_ tell me? Or you _won't_ tell me?"

_Both._ Blue eyes looked away and her body shivered despite the lack of ice around the area and the lack of wind. She looked down to her feet, shoulders trembling as a pair of furious hazel eyes flashed before her. _Your actions alongside my idiotic son's action caused this whole fucking mess in Japan._ Her throat tightened and her hand reached up, hovering against Shouto's blue jacket but then she drops her hand.

He mustn't get involved.

Warm and cold hand cradles her face, lifting her head up and blue eyes met mismatch eyes. Her cheeks felt soaked and maybe it was raining. She blinked when Shouto hesitated, a single thumb reached out to her whiskered cheeks. She closed her eyes and trembled when he wiped circles around her cheeks. His warmth danced around her cheek and the blonde leaned forward, only to jerk her head up.

She looked at him and stared at his mismatch eyes. Turquoise and grey eyes looked at him, searching her eyes for something. A tremor washed over her and a hazy memory washed over her. Someone catching her after the fight with that villain, cradling her and a voice calling out to her.

"Why won't you tell me? Why can't you tell me?" He grabbed her shoulders and looked down at her, mismatch eyes filled with a wilderness and concern that didn't suit him. Her hand reached out, trembling as blue eyes gazed into him. Shouto was always calm. He wasn't this emotional.

This wasn't him.

"I just can't tell you." Her eyelashes flutters and the girl looked down at her sandles as mismatch eyes locked onto her. Soba radiated from his mouth and his husky scent hugged her. Her lips parted but only silence greeted them. She grinded her teeth together, hunching her shoulder and blue eyes locked on the hard ground.

"Why can't you tell me?"

Because he would hate her.

"I just can't tell you."

He would blame her.

"Naruto."

She might lose him because of her impulsive behaviour.

Shouto's hands cradle her again, fingers touching her chin and pushing her to look at him. Dual-tone eyes locked onto her, pleading and begging her to tell him the truth. Finally, Shouto whispered. "Is it because you don't trust me? Do you still don't trust me?"

Naruto stared at him and her fingers reached out, touching his smooth cheeks and lingered on his burnt scar. Her throat tightened as the park played out before her. _I want you to feel better._ She hunched her back as the hospital bed flashed before her eyes. Shouto coming in with notes and homework, mismatch eyes devoid of emotions as he tell her of what she missed in school.

_You're useless._

Her throat tightened.

_Konoha won't make me stronger, Idiot._

"It's not about trust." She locked her eyes on him and nibbled her bottom lip, tucking a strand of her blond hair. Shouto darted his eyes from her hair to her lips, fixating on the white teeth nibbling. Time seemed to pass before he finally looks back at her.

"Then what is it about?"

_It is your fault that we messed up the mission._ She cleared her throat and looked down at her trembling hand, cold wind nipping her fingers to the bone. Blue eyes blinked when Shouto leaned, hands digging the bricks behind her and the girl took a step backwards, caged in with nowhere to go or hide.

She looked up, body trembling and sucked in a deep breath when warm fingers wiped away the tears flowing down Naruto's face. Gentle motions around her cheeks, rubbing and probing the tears. Naruto closed her eyes and leaned closer, body relaxing and trembling at the same time. She flutters her eyes again and Shouto paused, eyes locked onto her.

"Naruto, just tell me what happened."

She shouldn't tell him. There was a whole list of reasons not to tell him of her connection to this. War. Him not understanding why the government should never know this. She would lose him. He would hate her…just like how the Uzumaki clan did.

Her heart clenched.

"I fucked up." Her whisper broke the silence and blue eyes locked onto her friend's eyes. He held her face, mismatch eyes gazing down at her with no emotion. Not even judgement. She inhaled and exhaled, chest rising and blue eyes locked onto the hands that spread warmth throughout her whole body.

Even his right side.

"I should have never came to Yuuei." The confession hung in the air and the blond-haired girl hunched her shoulders. Her hands reached out and touches his shoulder as her body trembled and shivered. He grabbed her arms, steadying her with his strong hands and looked down at her with knitted eyebrows.

"Naruto?"

"I should have never done the Yuuei Sports Festival," she declared evenly, clearing her throat. "Because of me, I let the Elemental Countries know that there are more potential Kekkei Genkei users…more tools that they could used. It is my fucking fault that those children are going missing! All because I just wanted to reassure Hinata-chan."

Her voice cracked and she slumps down to the ground, allowing the years and years worth of tears to flow down. Shouto looks at her, hand reaching out to her and hugged her. She sniffed him, breathing in his husky scent and her hands wrapped around him too. Fingers trembling and eyes closed as the tears soaked him.

She thinks that this was the first time that she allowed another teenager see her cry like this.

Once she was done crying, she would send a message to Gaara and the two of them could explain it to Shouto.

* * *

_I don't want any children to become an orphan like me._

Kenji sunk against his desk and looked up at the shelf that held the photos and sketches of various family members from his deceased, shitty grandfather to the sketch of a smiling seventeen-year-old Kushina with her boyfriend Minato. Blue eyes flashed before him and Kenji nipped his thumb, allowing a drop of blood to drop onto his storage seal. A bottle of whiskey appeared and the man yanked open the bottle.

"_Kenji-niisan! Meet Minato!"_

His cousin was dead.

"_I wanna have my parents again."_

Her child ended up having the same fate again and unlike with Kushina, there had been no clan to help her. No clan to support her while she dealt with the loss of her parents or to even tell her stories of what her parents were like. Perhaps not. Minato's cute teammate could have helped. She was a kind girl, too nice to be an Uchiha and way too good for her husband.

He lifted the bottle and puts the bottle against his lips, gulping down the burning, bitter sensation of the alcohol that he hadn't touch in three years. _This is the good stuff._ Naruto was Kushina's child, through and through from her anger to even that disrespectful attitude.

_We don't need a DNA test with that brat, but not everyone is going to accept her._ He could think of several people that would not accept her. From his oldest daughter to Haruto, Tomoyo's little brother. Asa was too busy being angry about what happened to Tomoyo that he wasn't thinking clearly when it came to Naruto and Eisuke. The man blamed everyone from him to his idiotic son.

The door slid opened and his wife stomped through, green eyes narrowing at the sight of the whiskey bottle in Kenji's hand. With a scowl playing on her lips, Kumiko yanked the bottle from his loosened hands and put both hands on her hips. Concern and anger washed away as her eyes took in his slumped form. "Kenji, I thought we agreed that the bottle isn't the answer to everything."

Putting down the bottle to one side, Kumiko knelt down and placed her hands around his face. He breathed her in, the rose-scented shampoo and that flowery perfume that she always loved to wear, and felt all tension leaving his body.

"Kenji, what happened? Akane and Kiko told me that you just came in here looking upset." His wife whispered, hands rubbing smooth circles around his back. "You rarely let those two ever see you like this. What happened with Eisuke? Are there no clues on Tomo-chan? Or those kids?"

Blue eyes flashing with rage washed over him and the man steadied his shaking arms. "You think our reckless son can make me act like this? Do you think Tomo-chan is capable of this? I met Naruto and asked that little brat for answers on Tomo-chan."

His wife frowned and took a seat right beside him, her long auburn hair touching his shoulders and she reached her hand out. She rubbed circles around his scarred hand, lips curled into a thin line as her eyes fixated on the last sketch that Kenji made of his favorite cousin and her boyfriend. "Did she give you any answers?"

Kenji shook his head and avoided his wife's searching eyes, only locking onto the photo of his grandfather. He traced Kushina's smiling face and flickers his eyes to the stuffed dragon that Kushina used to sleep with, the last present she had of her father. The present that she forgot to take with her before going to Konoha.

Blue eyes flashed before him alongside violet eyes that stared at him and their grandfather with betrayal.

_Why didn't anyone tell me that I was going to become a jinchuuriki? Why did you lie to me?_

"I took one look in Naruto's eyes and I saw that she didn't want anything to do with me."

Green eyes fixated at him and his wife combed his hair, her nails scratching and driving away the anger that he felt from earlier. "Why, Kenji?"

Kenji eyed the bottle right beside his wife and his long hand reached out to grab the bottle, only for the woman to raise her hand up and splashing all of his beautiful whiskey to the ground. Green eyes narrowed, warning him that she was not going to tolerate him if he was going to go back to his old ways.

"Who knows? Maybe she blames me for the hardship that her mother had to carry through," he clenched his hands into a fist. "That it is my fault that she became a Jinchuuriki."

His wife frowned. "You can't still believe that it is your fault that your cousin ended up becoming a carrier of a chakra monster, do you?"

Violet eyes still shone with betrayal whenever he used to visit her in Konoha and despite the smiles, Kenji knew his cousin like the back of her hand. Even though she had Minato, she blamed him for not warning her. For not even trying to convince their grandfather to pick someone else. It wouldn't surprise him if Kushina told his daughter of his crime.

He could never tell his wife this.

"I know Naruto wouldn't give answers after taking one look at her," he admitted, letting out a sigh. "And I know she wasn't going to come with me or meet any members of our clan without a fight. The girl is a lot more like her mother than her father, Minato wouldn't have tried to lie. He would be too much of a pansy to lie to me."

His wife pinched her nose and narrowed her eyes. "Uzumaki Kenji, tell me that you didn't lose your temper again."

He nodded and looked at the sketch of his cousin. "I thought that the only way to convince her to give the clan answers was to tell the Japanese Government about the countries which might be responsible for this mess."

"Tell me you were being impulsive again, Kenji! We talked about what is a good idea and what is a—"

"I was lying, woman." His wife's eyebrows twitched and Kenji run his hand through his hair. "I know I told Asa and even threatened Eisuke about it, but I won't actually do it Kumiko. I only said those things because I'm an Uzumaki. We think with our emotions and not with our head. We try and try to do that logic thing but when our family is threatened…we get too emotional."

His grandfather had been different, not caring that he sent the one Uzumaki that was always free to vocalize her distress to youngest daughter did not have this curse, always so calm but only releasing her temper when Akane was acting up.

"That is no excuse, Kenji!" His wife screamed. "What you told her was stupid, even for you! You can't allow your anger and frustrations to come out at that moment!"

He slumped his shoulders.

"Do you realize that if you want to build a relationship with her then you are going to have to work three times as hard to get her trust?" His wife asked him, pacing back and forth. Her long fingers combing through her hair. "You are terrifying when you are angry! And you let it out on a stranger that you are certain is Kushina's child."

Kenji grunted. "She was acting disrespectful!"

"Well if you were acting like your usual self then I would act like a rude little shit too!" His wife screamed, shaking her head at him. He chuckled and looked at his scowling wife, who puffed her cheeks and put her hands on her hips. She raised a single eyebrow and the man stalked to his wife, who trembles and takes a step back.

"And you know that is what I like about you," he reminds her, hugging her.

His wife nudged him in the ribs. "Don't even think about it, mister. I'm furious with what you did to your potential niece; honestly threatening someone has never gotten you anywhere."

"It got rid of your ex-boyfriend, didn't it?"

His wife rolled her eyes. "I was capable of kicking him out of my life."

Kenji nipped his wife in the ear and smiled when the woman shivered, before looking at the photo of his cousin and her boyfriend. Despite her long golden hair and bright blue eyes, Naruto was a striking image of Kushina. The same eye shape, the same face shape and even the same temper. The nose was different and even the shape of her mouth, resembles that pansy.

From afar, Naruto looks like Minato but once she was in your face then Kushina shone through.

"I don't think a DNA test is needed," he admitted. "I know she is Kushina's child. She looks like her and that wimpy boyfriend of hers."

Kumiko looked up at him. "Even though you accepted her, it doesn't mean the other members of the clan will accept it. Akane won't listen to you even if you pull her by the hair and tell her to accept Naruto! That girl acts more like you than you care to admit. The same goes for the other children…they blame her for ruining the childhood that their parents worked so hard to give them."

Kenji sighed.

"I know," he looked at the photo of his grandfather. "But that is why I need her to come. I might be the leader of this clan but Akira is the one that keeps everyone in check. If she takes one look at Naruto and decides to accept her then the children will be disciplined by her. I hold the power but she is the elder of the clan, the one with the most power now."

Kumiko sighed. "And will Akira-sama accept her?"

"Akira raised Kushina for two years and visited her whenever she had the chance," Kenji declared. "If there is one person that misses Kushina more than me then it is her. Naruto was born after the destruction of Uzushiokagure…so Akira has no choice but to accept her."

Because there had been no Uzumaki sent to Konoha and that meant Kushina had been free to marry whoever she wanted. She had been free to marry a boy without a clan to back him up.

He just prayed for Naruto's sake that Akira accepted Naruto.

* * *

**A/N: I know that the relationship between Naruto and the Uzumaki Clan is different, but I considered how certain people would feel if a stranger comes up to them and declare they are family. So this is why it is different because I doubt everyone can accept a new family member from nowhere. There will be some bumps and their relationships will be explored better in later books. Do tell me what you think of the scene between Naruto and Todoroki and of the conversation between Kenji and Kumiko. Also what do you think of the flashback?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_Naruto wants me to tell you that she wants you to meet her and some guy called Todoroki at 5pm in the café that you guys talked last week, to talk about some secret coming out."_

Naruto's summons words echoed In Gaara's ears as his teal eyes took in the waves, crashing and rising as each second passed. His siblings sat right beside him, eating some chocolate banana sweets as their minds tried to process the fact Naruto spilled the secret of the missing children.

"What caused her to spill?" Temari shook her head and looked out to the smiling children. Their smiles seemed to radiate, making Gaara wonder if perhaps there had been a time when he had been as happy as those kids. In his memories, he never felt or smiled as widely as those kids. But those smiles would wipe away if the world learns of the crime being committed by the people from their side of the world.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kankuro grunted. "She just took one look at that Pretty Boy and decided to spill our problems to him. I expected something like this from her teammate but not her. She was always so tough, acting like nothing would make her spill her—"

"It is not about being tough around us," Gaara said quietly, looking up at the clear blue sky with his lips pressed into a thin line. His sister and brother twisted their heads with their eyes growing wide at his observation. Naruto's flushed cheeks from the Sports Festival flashed before his eyes alongside the boy's demands for his classmates to wear those cheerleading outfits. "She isn't the type to spill her secrets because of appearances."

"Gaara?"

The teal-eyed boy, clasping his hands together, leaned forward and looked straight at the crashing waves. "With our kind of past, we don't trust people because of appearance. Appearances are deceptive but actions and experiences can speak volumes about a person. The boy did something that made Naruto decide to trust him."

"Gaara," his sister spoke softly and Gaara blinked, taken back by how his rough sister had suddenly decided to sound gentle towards him. Temari inhaled. "Naruto isn't like you. She is still a female and that friend of hers is attractive, maybe one look and a couple of words would be enough—"

"Perhaps for other girls," Gaara rubbed the sides of his head, groaning and wincing at the cries of Shukaku that seemed to be begging for him to take blood. This must be one of the days when the tanuki wanted to annoy the crap out of him. "But Naruto isn't like that. Why now? Why didn't she tell him before this? Something must have happened for her to have no choice but to tell him."

"Even if she has no choice, can we trust him?" Temari asked, blowing a strand of her hair off of her face. "We don't know anything about him except he is Naruto's friend and that isn't enough reason for us to trust him."

His sister was right but Gaara wondered what Naruto would have done if the roles had been reverse. When they invaded Konoha and he hurt her teammates, she didn't try to kill him. She didn't do anything but tried to connect with him, trying to make him see sense. Perhaps he would need to try and make the boy see reason of why it was a terrible idea to inform the government.

'_Uzumaki, are you okay?'_

The words from the talk in the café echoed in his ear, reminding him of what could be a better reason to make the boy see why the government can never know of the actions of the Elemental Countries. Those mismatch eyes had flashed with concern and another emotion that Gaara was unfamiliar with, but something told him that the emotion was enough for the boy not to spill the secrets.

"Temari, do you think that friend of Naruto care for her?"

His sister blinked and knitted her eyebrows before nodding her head. "Isn't the fact that he threaten his classmates to wear those outfits enough proof? I don't think a boy would have done it if he didn't care about his friends."

Inhaling, Gaara rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his two siblings that sat by side to side with him. "Then I will make it clear to him about why no one could know about the actions of the people from our part of the world. If his care for Naruto is deep then he will understand the importance of the secret."

He really did not want to hurt the boy if he spilled the secret to anyone but Gaara would do his best to ensure that there was balance between the two different parts of the world.

It was only fair after what he did throughout his anger.

* * *

"_Meet me after 5pm in the café that you saw me with my friends. I will explain everything you heard and what I told you, but until then don't tell anyone what you heard."_

Naruto's words echoed in his ear alongside the pleading and seriousness in her blue eyes once the tears had dried and it was time for them to return back to their respective mentors. Todoroki had never seen the blond-haired girl looked so panic in the time that he had known her—angry, annoyed and even upset…but never panic. It made him know whatever she was going to tell him, was not something that could come out.

Was what Naruto going to tell him the reason for her acting so nervous about the last few days? Why she had been so tensed when that Gaara came? The thoughts danced around in Shouto's head as he watched Endeavour, who looked down at the fallen slices of papers on the ground, picking it up to see if Tomoyo had left them any words in her note.

Endeavour flickered his eyes from the fallen paper to the mismatch boy with his lips pressed into a very thin line. "Shouto, what is your relationship with Uzumaki?"

Shouto blinked and then shifted back and forth, mismatch eyes locked onto the judging eyes of Endeavour. The fifteen-year-old slipped his hands into his pockets, schooling his face into a blank expression as the turquoise eyes of his father questioned him about his friendships with Naruto.

A memory played before him. The gentleness and care in bright blue eyes as she asked him about his mother, never thinking that he was weak for still being affected by that day. The warmth of her hug, reminding him of the days when he had been so happy to receive a hug from his mother and most of all, Shouto recalled her tears.

The tears caused because she was sad for what Endeavour did to his mother.

Pink lips flashed before him alongside blue eyes looking at him like she just wanted comfort. Blue eyes that kept pleading for him not to push her to tell him the answers and all he could think was why would they blame her. White teeth nibbling her plump bottom lip as if debating whether or not to tell him. The soft feeling of her chest against his and the tears soaking his clothes. It had been wrong of him, but in that moment, he thinks of the line that he read in her notebook and Shouto had to shove it in the back of his mind.

Because Naruto was his friend.

She was his first friend and you don't think of your friends in that way.

"It is none of your business," Shouto declared evenly, even though his face heats up and the teary eyes of Naruto looking up at him flashed before his eyes. _I think this was the first time that she cried for herself._ Knowing this, Shouto clenched and unclenched his hands at what happened for her to be accused of this mess.

Because nothing Naruto said to him had made sense.

Endeavour pressed his lips into a thin line, turquoise eyes observing him, and said quietly, "I am asking you this because a reporter came to me last month with a photo of you hugging her and asked me if it was true that my youngest son was dating the winner of the Sports Festival."

Shouto clenched his hands into a fist, clenched his jaws together and narrowed his eyes at his father as his brain took the time to process what had just been said. It was not long before the teen folded his arms against his chest, eyebrows twitching at the knowledge that the man was now more than ever interested with his friendship with Naruto. "We are _only_ friends."

"I dismissed the claim," Endeavour cleared his throat and looked at the paper, turquoise eyes not showing much emotions. "But the newspaper ran with the story."

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line, eyebrows knitting together and the boy tilted his head to the side. Silence hung between them with the only sound was the honking cars and the various pedestrians chatting and laughing with each other. The teen finally shook his head. "Naruto and me are _only_ friends. There was nothing wrong with me hugging her."

Time seemed to slow down with the chatter of the various pedestrians blurring as Shouto pressed his hands against his pockets. Turquoise eyes regarded him, searching for something in Shouto's eyes, and the man grunted.

"I don't care about your friendship with her or your relationship with her," His father looked at him with hardened eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line. "But if the both of you want to be a hero then keep your relationship private. The media can ruin relationships."

_Is he trying to give me advice?_ Shouto frowned and shifted back and forth with a single hand rubbing the back of his neck. The turquoise eyes of his father looked almost fatherly, almost something that his childhood self would have wanted to see but it brought a bitter taste to his throat. Because Endeavour probably took one look at Naruto's Quirk and decided that she might be the perfect wife for him.

Shouto was not going to end up like his father.

"Naruto and me are _**only**_ friends."

Endeavour raised a single eyebrow. "Naruto?"

Shouto nodded, tilting his head and knitting his eyebrows at the suspicious tone leaking out of his father. "She told me that I can use her first name since we are friends."

Endeavour regarded him, opening and closing his mouth before shaking his head. Various pedestrians looked at them, smiling and reaching out for their phones. Flashes from their cameras blinded him but Shouto kept his eyes on the Number Two Hero, who tilted his head and raised a single eyebrow at them.

"We are _only _friends." Why was it so hard for his father to believe him? Naruto and him might be close, closer than any friends that he had in Yuuei, but the relationship was of friends. She comforted him, helped him deal with the hell that was his childhood, and Shouto does the same. Because what the two of them shared was a history of pain, of abuse and none of their classmates could fully understand what that was like.

His father just stared at him, grunting and shaking his head at him as Shouto looked at the fallen piece of paper. _We are __**only**__ friends._ No matter how many times he repeated those words or clarified to both his father and himself, there was still a bitter taste to his tongue. He could only knit his eyebrow as his brain conjured up the images of Naruto crying and the warmth drawn from her hug.

A smile flashed before his eyes and Shouto paused, looking up at the fading blue sky that was starting to remind him more and more of the bright blue eyes of his friend. The image of the sad Naruto sat right beside the image of her smiling face, making him think of only one thing.

He wanted to stop whatever was causing her grief.

Shouto just wanted to see her smile.

* * *

"You guys are done for the day!"

Sighs of relief echoed throughout the street as Hawks gave them a smile, waving them off as his brown eyes focused down on the photo provided to him. Naruto forced herself to smile, stretching her back and giving a high-five to the sidekicks as they congratulated her and Tokoyami on their second day of the internship. Once they turned away from her, the blond-haired girl glared at Uzushiokage with her lips curled into a scowl.

_If you don't come, I will go to the government and inform them of __**which countries**__ are the culprit._ The furious words of that red-haired man echoed in her ear, hung over her shoulders and pressed more weight to her shoulders. How could she ever want to be related to a clan filled with assholes?

Why the hell didn't she try to stand up for herself? Why did she allow the man to walk away like that? Naruto clenched her hands into a fist, lifting it up and then stopping herself from smashing the walls of the building beside her. People were in there, innocent people would come crashing down because she couldn't control her temper.

Blue eyes hardened, growing colder and colder by the minute as green eyes locked on her. Uzushiokage paused, blinking and almost shivering at the sight of her eyes, tugging his collar before walking up to her. He closed his eyes and has a smile, almost reminiscent of someone else but Naruto doesn't know where she had seen the smile.

The man strolled towards her, whistling and humming, flashing the occasional smile with a nibble of his lip to some of the girls. Whispers and sighs escaped their lips, earning a rolling eye from Naruto and the man stopped at her. He pulled out a piece of paper, earning a raised eyebrow from Naruto.

"You don't know the dojo, do you?" the man reminded her, voice soft and quiet as the people around them shuffled away. He took her hand, put the paper into her hand and curled it into a tiny fist. "Before Pops left, he told me to give you the address."

The cursive characters hurt her eyes, burning her eyes as her brain tried to make sense of the writing. It looked almost similar to Jiraiya's handwriting, except slightly more readable and tidier if she was being honest. She locked her eyes on the address, eyebrow raised when she read that the building was called Whirlpool Dojo.

Finally, the blonde slid the paper into her phone case and locked eyes on the smiling hero. "Your Pops is an asshole and an idiot."

Uzushiokage blinked and gulped, swirling his head around with green eyes panicking as if worried that his father might overhear her words. He relaxed his shoulders, dropping his smile and looking down at her blue eyes with his own green eyes. _It looks almost like that bitch._ But unlike that bitch Akane, there was kindness shining in his eyes alongside a warmth that makes her toe curl. A warmth that almost gives her…

_I refuse to acknowledge you as an Uzumaki._

The memory crashes through her brain, halting any stirring of hope in her eyes and reminding her that this clan did not accept her. That this clan was filled with assholes and bitches that hated her. That insulted her friends and reminded her of the fact that _she __**never**__ knew her parents__**. **_

"You shouldn't talk about the leader of our clan—"

"Your leader," Naruto declared, glaring at the red-haired man. Her body trembled, shoulders shaking and legs wobbling, as the Uzushiokage looked at her with a frown decorating his lips and eyebrows knitted together. "He is _not_ my leader."

The red-haired hero knelt down, body leaning forward until his green eyes locked onto her eyes. Green eyes seemed fixated on her eyes alongside her jaw line before sweeping to her blond hair that was now slowly reaching the beginning of her butt. "You are an Uzumaki."

"Am I?" Bitterness leaked out of her tone and blue eyes locked onto the red-haired hero leaning in front of her.

The hero hummed. "Well unless proven otherwise, I will consider you to be an Uzumaki. You look just like the sketch of my father's favourite cousin except his cousin had red-hair and you have blond hair."

_The Hokage doesn't give that last name if he wasn't certain that you are an Uzumaki._ Jiraiya's words echoed in her ear alongside his reminder that there was a possibility that her mother had been an Uzumaki. Blue eyes softened slightly as her stomach stirred with hope but then furious, _cold_ green eyes flashed before her and Naruto buried the emotion deep inside of her.

She wanted nothing to do with that clan.

"I'm bringing a friend with me," she informed him, fixating her eyes on the sunset sky and maybe it was her imagination but she saw a red feather dropping from the balcony above them. "He will explain better and maybe more rationally why the head of your clan is being an absolute idiot to decide to tell the government about _my part of the world_."

If they would deny her of being an Uzumaki then she would make it clear that he was a foreigner to their part of the world.

The hero frowned, looked around before yanking her closer to him. He lowered his head, green eyes locked onto her and his red eyebrows knitted together before lowering his voice to a volume that couldn't be heard. "Why do you keep saying my clan? The Uzumaki clan is also your clan unless proven otherwise."

Blue eyes narrowed and the blond-haired girl yanked her arm away from him, chest rising up and down as her hair rose up. _I refuse to acknowledge you as a member of the Uzumaki Clan._ She clenched her hands into a fist and grinded her teeth together. _I doubt your last name is even Uzumaki._ More and more of her childhood flashed before her alongside that Akane's cold, cruel green eyes.

She itched to punch him but held herself back, choosing instead to glare at him. "_You people_ dismissed me before even getting to know me and my actions on that fucking day! You are a clan filled with upright assholes that thinks they are better than anyone and knows my whole fucking life story! You and every other single child born to that clan had things easy!"

The hero stared at her, green eyes widening and lips parting as blue eyes glinted with redness and the Kyuubi's chakra leaked out as it always did whenever she was furious. The man doesn't open his mouth, doesn't even try to convince her that she was wrong but his green eyes flashed with sadness and understanding like he could understand what she went through.

He had a loving family and a clan to back him up whenever he had problems.

Naruto had no one and had lost the one person that was like her mother when she was seven.

"Did my father ever declare to you that you weren't a part of the clan?" His voice was quiet and disbelief leaked out of his tone as his green eyes focused onto her eyes, tracing the shape of her eyes.

Naruto scowled. "Maybe not him but that Akane bitch told me this—"

"Akane?" He squeaked and Naruto nodded, lips curled into a scowl. The man clenched and unclenched his fist, green eyes flashing with annoyance and irritation before he smashed his fist to the ground, causing a slight tremor to the ground. The people jumped, looking around to find the source of the tiny earthquake. "That little punk met you?"

"What part of Akane bitch didn't you—"

"Why doesn't this surprise me? This sounds something that the little punk would do!"Uzushiokage screamed and the man flushed a bright shade of red when the pedestrians swirled their heads at them. The boy laughed, bowing his head down and apologizing before looking at her with apologetic eyes. Naruto grunted, head tilted upwards to the sky before glaring at the man.

"Let me make one thing clear to you and your clan: I won't be apart of a clan that treats people like shit or who treats outsiders like they are better than them," she growled. "Your _sister_ insulted my friend, acting like she was the shit and that speaks volumes of how the hell you people were raised."

Uzushiokage grimaced. "We are all not—"

"I don't care," Naruto snarled, stalking off from the man. She clicked her heels and glared at him. "You think I need a clan? I lived eleven years of my life without a clan to help me. I lived eleven years without a Mum and Dad but at least I know better than to insult my seniors without having something to back up my claim. At least if I was wrong then I would make up for it in some way or form."

Neither Naruto nor Uzushiokage noticed that a pair of brown eyes had been watching them and overheard every single bit of the conversation.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter and of the story in general? Of the characterization of Eisuke in this story? And of the development of Naruto and Todoroki's changing relationship? Do you think that the pace should slow down?**


	20. Chapter 20

**_A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone reviewed the last chapter. This is probably going to be the last chapter for the week so I made it extra long._**

* * *

"_How do we calculate this, Naruto-chan?"_

Naruto let out a small yawn and looked at Hinata. Her best-friend was currently studying for their math exam, eyebrows knitted together and a frustrated sigh coming out of her mouth as they waited for their classmates to come. In another few more minutes, her best-friend probably might start swearing at the question. While Hinata-chan was good at almost everything, math and physics was her best-friend weakness. For Naruto, it was anything to do with biology.

She just find memorizing to be boring.

The blonde chewed on her bottom lip, leaned her body forward and picked up Hinata's pencil. Twirling the pencil around, Naruto knitted her eyebrows and took a careful read of the question that was giving her best-friend a headache. _Find the resultant velocity of the shuriken's velocity._ The blonde darted her eyes to the top of the question, humming and bobbing her head when she saw the information given to them.

In that moment, the door slid opened and Sakura comes charging in. The pink-haired girl smiled and cheered at the lack of girls in the classroom, only to flush a light shade of red when Hinata and Naruto swirled their heads at her. Clearing her throat, Sakura tied her clothes and kept her head up.

_Sometimes Naruto thinks that this is why they could have been friends, because Naruto suppresses her intelligence while Sakura pretends that she doesn't have moments of delinquency. _

Sakura blinked at the sight of the open math textbook standing between Naruto and Hinata and the girl flickered her eyes to the knitted eyebrows alongside the pencil as well as the frustrated Hyuga Heiress. At the age of twelve, Naruto will admit that Sakura changed from being a self-conscious girl that lacked any confidence to a girl filled with a lot of confidence. But at that age, the girl was prone to jumping to conclusions.

Like now.

"_What are the two of you doing?" _Sakura walked up towards them, dropping her bag right next to the seat that Sasuke always sat. The pink-haired girl puts her hand on her hips, body leaning forward and blinking when she sees the question on display.

Sakura looked at Hinata, who puffed her cheeks and looked at Naruto to just start explaining how to solve the problem. _Sometimes when Naruto looks back at this day, she thinks Hinata-chan was trying to make everyone see that she was more than just a prankster._ But Naruto thinks if she answers the question then Sakura would just dismiss it as luck so she shrugged her shoulder and just gave her a dumb look.

Hinata looked at her like she disappointed her.

_Even now when Naruto looks back, she hates disappointing Hinata-chan because Hinata-chan has always been there for her._

"_Hinata, you shouldn't be wasting your time helping Naruto pass the exam."_ Sakura shook her head, holding her hands up and pressing her lips into a thin line at the sight of Naruto. "_She is going to fail."_

"_Sakura-san!"_ Hinata stood up, lilac eyes growing furious and Naruto yanked her friend down. Hinata frowns and gives her a tiny, barely noticeable scowl but the blonde shrugs her shoulder and smiles. Sakura-chan was right. She probably was going to fail the exams for the second time but it probably wouldn't be because of this subject.

Naruto might skip but she takes her notes from Hinata-chan and studies them when she thinks it would help her with pranks.

"_Why Sakura-chan? Hinata-chan is a really good teacher and I really wanna pass!"_ Naruto smiled widely and clapped her hands together, pouting at the pink-haired girl. She hadn't been trying for the last two times because Hinata-chan refused to do the exams early with her.

"_Are you really asking me why?"_ Sakura shook her head, rolled her eyes and stared at Naruto like she was an absolute idiot for not figuring out the reason her pink-haired classmate believed that she was going to fail. "_You are always skipping class and playing pranks instead of being in class! No wonder the teachers are always complaining about you!"_

Naruto froze and her smile almost wobbled at the reminder. The words that the teachers were just unfair, judgmental pricks that always picks on her were on the tip of her tongue. She doesn't skip for no reason. Why bother to go to class when they were just going to send her off with a complaint? So she just do the job for them.

Hinata-chan thinks that she was being judgmental, whatever that means but all teachers were the same.

_Despite the fact that Iruka-sensei tries hard, Naruto still thinks that he was just as judgmental. He doesn't see how smart her pranks had been laid out, only complaining about the mess that she makes._

"_Sakura!"_ Hinata jumped up from her seat, hand reaching out to grip the girl and Naruto holds her friend back. She doesn't know when their teacher will come in, but her best-friend will get into trouble if she hits Sakura. It doesn't matter to their teacher that Sakura-chan can take things too far when it comes to her because Sakura-chan is a teacher's pet.

"_Hinata, you might have some hope that Naruto will pass,"_ Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at the blond-haired girl twirling Hinata's pencil without a care in the world. "_But she failed the early graduation exams twice, a third time won't make any difference."_

"_Sakura, don't be so quick to judge Naruto-chan!"_ Hinata stood up, lilac eyes growing furious and Sakura blinked, almost gulping at the rage shining through the girl's eyes. Naruto stares at Hinata and she knows only Hinata and Sasuke knows how smart she can be when she tries, but she knows Sakura was right.

Because even if Naruto does well in the theory exam and wipes the floor with her opponent, she will fail at the ninjutsu portion. That was where she always fell down. For the last two exams, the teacher would ask her to do the clone jutsu and no matter how much Naruto tries…she just fails.

She doesn't understand why.

The Henge jutsu was easy for her, in fact she even created a jutsu against perverts by using that jusu, and Kawarimi Jutsu was a piece of cake for her. But she just always fell down in this jutsu. It was not even her fault! She does what Hinata tells her to do and tries to lower her chakra output but it just wasn't enough.

She went to Iruka-sensei about it, hoping and praying that maybe he would exclude her from the jutsu like he did with their senior, but he just tells her that she wasn't really trying.

_In her heart, Naruto knows that Iruka cares for her and just didn't fully understand what she means but Naruto has a bad trait. She doesn't even realize that she has this kind of trait until she was fifteen, but she will always compare to the person that sets her off with this impression._

She thinks Iruka-sensei and every other teacher was no different from Hiraoka-sensei.

_So when Akane breaks her, Naruto thinks that the whole Uzumaki Clan is the same and it will only take a conversation for her to realize that she was a hypocrite._

* * *

The chatter of the various customers echoed throughout the café, dancing and bouncing around the walls and the various customers took several glances at the trio of teens sitting in the booth. Naruto slumps against her seat, hands over her shoulders and blue eyes looking everywhere but at her two friends, who were now eying each other. A few of the waiters looked at them, only to look away when Naruto flashes them a smile.

"What is the Elemental Countries?" Shouto looked at them, mismatch eyebrows knitting together and his body leaned forward. He focused his eyes on her while Gaara looks at Naruto with wide eyes, earning a shrug from the blonde. She wasn't best-known for her explanations.

"It is—"In that moment, a waitress comes in with a tray of their drinks. The waitress smiled, white teeth nibbling her bottom lip, and eyes twinkling at the sight of Shouto. The smile broadened when the waitress smiles even wider at him and Naruto feels her stomach rolling, her hands clenching into a fist and narrowing her eyes at the waitress.

Naruto blinked and squashed the feeling down, shaking her head. This was not the time and place to feel this emotion, whatever the hell it was. Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line, almost snorting while Shouto turned to her, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

The waitress just squeaked and scurried off, earning knitted eyebrows from the woman and a tiny smile from Naruto. Honestly there was flirting for tips and there was flirting to get a date with a handsome guy._ Did I just think Shouto in that way?_ Nope, they were friends and it was normal for friends to admit that the other friend was attractive in an objective way.

She would admit that Sasuke had been attractive when they were kids but then again his fangirls constantly had to scream at her.

She shook her head, stood up and reached out to get her smoothie from beside Shouto. Her shoulder brushes against his and a shiver vibrates throughout her whole body, causing her to pause and look at him. The younger boy looked at her, mismatch eyes fixated on her shoulders and then looked down to her thighs brushing against him. Within a couple of seconds, he flushed red and shook his head.

"Are you sick,Shouto?" She put the drink back to her side of the table and leaned closer to the boy, placing her hand on top of his forehead. He shook his head, lips pressed into a thin line and mismatch eyes focused on her. She hummed, smiled and stared at him for a couple of minutes before lowering her voice and lowering her eyelashes at him. "Do you want me to _press_ a _pressure point_?"

Shouto stared at her for a couple of minutes, eyes flickering down to her pink lips and he furiously shook his head at her. "I'm g-good."

A small, hoarse laugh escaped from her lips and the boy gulped, tugging his collar while Gaara just sighed. He raised a non-existent eyebrow at her, not looking one bit amused by her actions and Naruto blinked before realizing what she did to her friend. _Did I just flirt?_ Groaning, she slammed her head against the table.

She rather prefer going back to be being the babble mouth around him and not the flirt. _Oh god, what if I'm turning into another Ino._ A shudder broke through her as another memory dances in her mind. Hinata blushing at the suggestion of how she could flirt with Kiba. Of how easy it would be to tease him.

But Shouto was her dear friend and that had been an accident…she thinks.

Gaara just sighed and shook his head, only shooting the younger boy a look of pity. Shouto just kept his eyes fixated on the red-head, occasionally glancing at Naruto, who rubbed the back of her neck. Both teens avoided looking at each other and stared at Gaara. The red-haired pulled out a map and a scroll from his pocket, uncurling and laying it out for the three of them to see.

"The Elemental Countries is another set of countries that the world doesn't know about," Gaara explained, pointing to the map of the Elemental Countries. "Our part of the world is very different from your part of the world. It is a world filled with war, blood shed and most of all shinobi. We don't have heroes."

Shouto frowned. "But how come it isn't in the maps? Why don't we know about it?"

"Because there are seals and genjutsu in place," Naruto explained, pointing to the Pacific Ocean. She circled the offshore of Taiwan, circling the large area over there. "That is why you guys don't know about it."

The boy pressed his lips into a thin line, tilted his head and looked at the map on display. He knitted his eyebrow, fingers tracing the character of fire and looking at the various countries that seemed connected together. "What is genjutsu?"

"It is an illusion," Gaara explained. "It is a technique that is created when a shinobi takes control of a person chakra flow, which affects the five senses. Due to this, it is easy for us to be fooled into thinking that our countries are separated. The genjutsu around us have been around for centuries."

"And chakra?" Shouto looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled, chest rising up and down as the voices around her become muffled. She steadied her trembling arms, reaching out for the smoothie and the girl took a long sip of her milkshake. The straw moved back and forth as Gaara folded his arms, not looking one bit pleased that the girl was taking her time to explain things.

"It is what I have been passing off as my Quirk," she finally explained. "In this part of the world, it would be considered a Quirk since this is something that I have inherited from my parents. It is a superpower but if we go to the Elemental Countries…I will be considered Quirkless."

Shouto pressed his lips into a very thin line. "That doesn't explain what Chakra is."

"Chakra is the energy flowing inside Gaara and me," Naruto explained quietly. "It is combined by adding our physical energy and spiritual energy together. The things you have been seeing me use were techniques that requires chakra use. A lot of people from my part of the world can do what I do."

Well maybe not make hundreds of shadow clones but the idea was there.

The mismatch boy looked at Gaara. "So you can do the same things as Naruto?"

"Yes," Gaara took a sip of his coffee, teal eyes locked on the teen and leaning his body forward. "Except unlike Naruto, I do have a Kekkei Genkei or a Quirk as you people call it."

Naruto blinked and swirled her head at her friend, blue eyes widening at this knowledge. She leaned her body forward, bouncing and smiling as her blue eyes locked onto the teal eyes of her friend. Gaara had a Kekkei Genkai? Was it his sand? She thought he got the power from the monster inside of him just like she always presumed with her regenerative powers.

"What is it?"

Gaara blinked. "I have magnetic release."

"What is that?" Both Shouto and Naruto asked in unison. Shouto swirled his head at Naruto, eyebrow raised at her and the blonde laughed nervously. She rubbed the back of her neck, easing away the tension and knots around the back of her neck. It must be weird for Shouto to know that she didn't know what her friend's Kekkei Genkai.

"Why don't you know?" Shouto asked Naruto with a frown decorating his friends. "Aren't the two of you friends?"

The red-haired boy cleared his throat. "Because I don't really use it. I control the sand without using my Kekkei Genkai and that is why Naruto doesn't know. Magnetic release means that I can generate a magnetic force that can be applied to other substances, such as my sand but I don't use it. I have no need since I can control the sand without it."

"Sand?" Shouto asked.

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line, darted his eyes to the laughing customers and the giggling customers before swirling his hand from the gourd. Shouto blinked, mismatch eyes shining with interest while Naruto tilted her head, frowning at the realization that her friend had a Kekkei Genkai that he never used. "As you can see, I don't need it."

"But isn't what you are doing also considered a Kekkei Genkai?" Shouto questioned.

The red-haired boy paused, non-existent eyebrows knitting together and shook his head. "My father did not have this ability and my mother was what you people would call Quirkless."

"But there is a possibility that there was a mutation in your gene that allows you this opportunity to use the sand without using the Quirk that you inherited from your father," Shouto pointed out. Gaara regarded the boy, rubbing his chin and flickering his eyes at Naruto, silently asking her if she told her friend of what they were.

She shook her head. Telling Shouto about the Kyuubi terrified her and this was Gaara's chance of making friends with someone that was not going to judge him for his actions. Naruto looked at the red-haired boy, hands clasped together and a tight smile playing on her lips as she waited for her fellow jinchuuriki to decide whether he would take the risk with the mismatch boy.

"It is a possibility," Gaara finally said.

Naruto hummed, relaxing her shoulders before picking up her banana smoothie. "Anyways, what you need to know Shouto is that a Quirk is very rare over there. There is only a small percentage of people that have the Kekkei Genkai in the Elemental Countries."

"What is the percentage?" Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and knitted her eyebrows, rubbing her chin. In Konoha, there were only two clans with a Kekkei Genkai while the other clans had Hiden Techniques. Anyone could mimic the Hiden Technique if they knew how to do the jutsu, but no one could do the Kekkei Genkai. So she should guess from Konoha.

"Maybe around 10%?" She looked at Gaara and the boy nodded, looking almost baffled as if he never considered the number of Kekkei Genkai users. Naruto quirked her lips into a smile. No one actually thought of the percentage, not when it was not a huge importance.

"That is a very low," Shouto muttered, blinking his eyes.

The blonde nodded. "But I am guessing that it is low because of wars. Until a couple of years ago, one of the villages had been killing their Quirk Users and this forced the Quirk users to hide their abilities from the world or run away."

"Kirikagure," Gaara commented and Naruto nodded as Haku's face flashed before her. If the boy had been born here then he would have been free to express his gentle nature. His mother would have been alive and his father would have been accepting, being forced to realize that not all Quirk users were bad.

The mismatch boy blinked. "Why are they being killed?"

"Because Quirks are tools of war," Gaara answered quietly, locking eyes on the boy. "If a person has a Kekkei Genkai, or a Quirk as you like to call it, then they are automatically presumed to become a shinobi. They are blamed more than the normal shinobi due to the fact that they are more efficient then a normal shinobi."

"Shinobi? As in ninja?" Naruto and Gaara nodded. The two jinchuuriki pressed their lips into a very thin line, almost uncertain of what the younger boy was going to do. The only sounds that could be heard were the chatter of the various customers alongside the honks of the car. It was almost a peaceful evening but Naruto hated the fact that she had to explain it.

But she broke down in a moment of weakness.

"My siblings and I are shinobi and so is Naruto," Gaara explained to the boy quietly. The mismatch boy swirled his head at her, mismatch eyes widening at her and the blue-eyed girl looked down at her hands. Her eyes never meet the questioning eyes of her friend. Three years ago, this fact would have made her smile but she wasn't proud of her job anymore.

"How old were you when the both of you become shinobi?" Shouto asked softly.

"I was twelve," Naruto admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "If I had put some effort into my earlier attempts then I would have been ten years old."

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line while Shouto stared at her, mismatch eyebrows knitting together and his eyes looked at her like he didn't know what to tell her. Was he judging her for taking a job where murder was expected of them? Because unlike here, she didn't have much options. She just wanted to find out why her parents chose to become shinobi, choosing to leave her alone in this cruel world.

"I was twelve as well when I officially became a genin." Gaara admitted.

Shouto inhaled. "But if the both of you were twelve, then how old were you when you began learning how to be shinobi?"

"I was six," Naruto admitted, stretching and cracking her fingers together. She looked down at her hands, closed her eyes and allowed the memory of the Hokage to wash over her. At that age, all she wanted to do was to make her non-existent parents proud of her. To learn what made them decide that protecting the village was more important than her.

Shouto looked at Gaara.

"I was three," Gaara admitted quietly. Shouto's eyes widened at this, blinking and blinking as if he could not fully comprehend what type of people would force a three-year-old the art of being a shinobi. _The same type as his dad obviously._ The words were on the tip of her tongue but the blonde held herself back.

Thankfully, Shouto chose not to ask her why there was a difference between them.

Silence hung between them as the mismatch boy took a sip of his juice. The younger boy rubbed circles around his head, closed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows as he digested the information given to him. The fact Shouto hadn't accused them of lying so far was probably a good hint that he was processing things well.

"Why did you come here?" Shouto finally asked once he was done slurping his drink. He ran his hand through his hair, eyebrows knitting together and locking eyes on the both of them. His eyes pleaded with her to be honest with him or maybe it was her imagination that made her think like this.

The blonde inhaled. "Because I failed in a mission and that failure fucked me up really bad both emotionally and mentally. Ero-Sennin just wanted me to get better and I just wanted to forget everything so Jiraiya brought me here. There were rumors about Japan but no one could really confirm it."

Sweat built around her forehead as her friend gazed at her, mismatch eyes locked onto her blue eyes. She hunched her shoulders, took in a deep breath as the black eyes of her very first friend flashed before her. The bastard thought killing her was going to break the years and years' worth of friendship.

Shouto released a sigh. "Why did that man blame you for what happened? I can understand everything so far and I can figure out why the children and the woman had been kidnapped but what is your connection with this?"

Silence hung between them as mismatch eyes locked onto her while a pair of teal eyes looked at her with alarm. _I guess this is the best time to drop the news to Gaara._ She slumped her shoulders, rubbed the back of her neck and looked at her half-empty smoothie. Not once did her eyes meet the eyes of her friends.

"The latest victim comes from the Uzumaki Clan," Naruto admitted quietly. "I didn't know about this until yesterday when the cousin of the victim dragged Hawks and his agency to come here to find out what happened to his cousin. But it wasn't the cousin that blames me…it is the head of his clan."

Both Gaara and Shouto didn't say anything.

"The asshole reminded me that this shit wouldn't have happened if I hadn't entered Yuuei or did the Sports Festival," Naruto hung her head and let out a sigh. She just wanted to curl up into a little ball again and forget what her impulsive behaviour did. Why did she choose Yuuei? There had been so many other hero schools that she could have gone for.

God, she really wasn't thinking things through even though Naruto never knew that the Sports Festival was shown to the Elemental Countries.

"Why shouldn't you have done the Sports Festival?" There was almost a hardness to Shouto's tone that made Naruto gulp. Her hands trembled, shaking from fear or nerves she didn't know, and the girl looked out to the window. A child holding her parents' hand, laughing and smiling as she talked about her day in school.

Would that child be the next victim?

"By showing the world my techniques, I think it made everyone in the Elemental Countries realize that there are more Kekkei Genkai users that they can use," she admitted softly, hunching her back. "The jutsu that I have been using in the Sports Festival is common in our part of the world, so they realized the truth. So yeah, it is my fault that kids are being kidnapped to become tools of war."

Gaara sighed. "It isn't just that Naruto. You could have done the Sports Festival if you kept your head low and put on a simple disguise, maybe something to cover up your whisker marks."

"How the hell was I supposed to realize that this was going to happen?" She snapped. "I didn't have enough money to have cable television in Konoha. Until Ero-Sennin told me, I thought only Japan and the other half of the world would know! The Hokage never allowed me to watch it."

"Hokage?" Shouto asked, raising a single eyebrow at her.

"The leader of my village," Naruto explained, waving her hand at him. She slumped her shoulders, placed her head on the table and breathed in the sweet scent of cakes. Why didn't the Hokage allow her to get cable television? And why didn't anyone ever talk to her about it? She could understand Hinata. Her best-friend probably did not want to remind her of the fact that she was probably the only person without cable TV.

"Naruto, why haven't you told anyone about this? Why are you keeping it a secret from the Heroes?" Shouto asked quietly, leaning closer to her and his breath tickled her ear. She twisted her head to look at him, mismatch eyes flashing with confusion.

Naruto slumped her shoulders and dug her fingers inside her hand. "Because what would the government do if they find out? A war will break out and millions of people will die, both shinobi and civilians. Kids will become orphans and I ain't letting that shit happen."

"She wanted to tell them," Gaara admitted. Shouto swirled his head at the red-haired teen, eyebrows raised and mismatch eyes widening at this information. The red-haired teen rubbed the sides of his head. "But I had to remind her of those points because that is what the government would do. That is what is expected of them."

Naruto slumped her shoulders and Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line. The boy doesn't look at the slumped girl nor did he look at Gaara, only looking at the children and their smiling parents. Waiters and waitresses glanced at the three of them, looking at the empty drinks and holding their trays with a frown. To outsiders, it seemed like there was a huge cloud over them.

"If that is true then wouldn't your relative—"

"He is not my relative!" Naruto smashed her hand against the table, rackling the drinks and her blue eyes filled with fuming rage at the idea of being related to them. The two interactions she had with them played in her mind and the blond-haired girl trembled, shoulders shaking in anger at the denial given to her. "I'm not related to an asshole."

"Naruto," the blonde swirled her head to Gaara and the teal-eyed boy frowned at her. "Didn't you always want to have a family? Why is it when it is presented to you that you are acting like this? You told me to value my siblings but you are acting different when the situation is presented to you."

_Because they are your blood-siblings and I can see that they love you from the very beginning._ She always thought if she had a family or a clan then they would welcome her. Sure she messed up. But that bitch acted like she was better than her. What? Was she better because she had a clan? Because she knew her origins! She grinded her teeth together.

She hated the way that girl judged her.

The way that girl denied her.

"When I found out about the Uzumaki Clan, I was happy about it." Naruto cleared her throat and stared down at her hand as the memory of Sasuke playing with his cousins, being comforted by them flashed before her eyes. "Because a clan is a big, happy family that protects each other. I thought it meant I wouldn't be alone anymore but then I meet my friend's junior, who comes from the clan."

_I doubt your last name is even Uzumaki._

Her throat clogged up. "You know I wasn't even going to confront them…I have been rejected too many times by people, so going to them as a family member was a risk that I wasn't going to take. What if they denied me? And you know what? They did deny me. That junior told me that she refused to acknowledge me as an Uzumaki and told me that she doubt my last name is even Uzumaki. She just reminded me that I have no fucking clue where I come from!"

Gaara looked at her with sad eyes because if anyone knew what it was like to be denied then it was Gaara. Her friend wasn't even close to his siblings because he had been isolated from them from the moment he was born. He thought that thing in his stomach had been his mother and Naruto knew he understood why it hurt so much.

Because the kids in the Academy taunted her by reminding her of what she was.

"That was only one person, Naruto." Naruto swirled her head at Shouto and the boy looked at her, mismatch eyes narrowing at her and irritation leaking out of his voice. She grinded her teeth together, blue eyes narrowing at him and Shouto straightened his back. He locked his eyes on her. "You are acting like a hypocrite."

"How the hell am I a hypocrite?" She snapped. "That clan denied me—"

"Didn't you tell me that I'm not my father?" He snarled, mismatch eyes narrowing at her. Gaara flickered his eyes between them, lips curled into a frown. "How the hell can you say I'm not like my father when you are accusing a whole group of people to be the same? Wouldn't that make you a hypocrite?"

"Well for one Shouto, you are not an asshole!" She put her hands on her hips and leaned her body forward, looming over him if her smaller body could allow it. Shouto doesn't even flinch or squeak at her glare, only leaning forward till their eyes were locked onto each other. "How the fuck is this the same?"

"Because you are accusing all of them to be assholes!" He growled. "Because you are going to throw away a chance of having actual relatives because you are being a judgmental person again!"

"Since when have I been judgmental?"

"You called me an asshole when we first met! Wouldn't that make you a judgmental person since you didn't even know me yet?"

The word hung in the air and Naruto panted, her chest rising and falling as Shouto locked eyes on her. Mismatch eyes locked onto her, daring her to say that he was lying about her first impression of him. She hunched her shoulders, realizing that he was right about her calling him an asshole. Maybe it had been wrong but he showed her that he wasn't an asshole.

But the Uzumaki clan…

_Did my father ever declare to you that you weren't apart of the clan?_

She stiffened and knitted her eyebrows.

_The clan want answers._

That man never claimed that she wasn't apart of the clan. He never once said that it was his clan, only stating that it was the clan. Did that mean he was willing to acknowledge her? Uzushiokage asked her if the man declared she wasn't apart of the clan but not once did the man say _my clan_.

_The Uzumaki clan is also your clan unless proven otherwise._

But did he really mean it?

"How can I be certain that they are going to accept me? What if they are all the same?" Naruto asked them, slumping her head against Shouto's shoulder. The boy looked down at her, mismatch eyes meeting hers. She breathed in and out, throat becoming dry as the various memories of her childhood came together. From the children that stopped playing with her to Fugaku getting furious whenever she came over to play with Sasuke. Maybe she was being too judgmental like Shouto believed.

But she couldn't help it.

"And what if they are not?" he asked her quietly, his hand rubbing circles around her back and the blonde let out a relaxed sigh, closing her eyes. Gaara just stared at the both of them, teal eyes fixated on the way that the boy seemed to be calming the girl down. "Naruto, you need to start having faith. Give them a chance and if it doesn't work out…then you have Aizawa-sensei and your Guardian."

"Oh? I don't have a big guy like you to protect me if I find out that it was true?" She smiled and looked up at him. It was meant as a joke but mismatch eyes stared at her like she was probably silly for asking the question. He doesn't say anything and there wasn't much words that could be said. She doesn't know how but she knows that she always have Shouto to have her back.

"You have me," he said out loud.

(_When Naruto looks back on this day, she thinks that this is when things between them changed. Because no one ever vocalized it or maybe it was the fact that there was an emotion in his eyes that brought even more warmth to her toes)._

* * *

_Do you know what your favourite child did? She went and told Naruto that she refused to acknowledge her! Now Naruto wants nothing to do with us! And you call me the impulsive, reckless idiot._

Kenji growled at the message that his son sent him, hazel eyes glowing with rage as he stalked to the living room where he could see Akane was watching some science fiction tv show with excited eyes. Shaking his head, the man went behind the television and pulled out the cord. His daughter swirled her head, eyebrows knitted together and squeaking when he directed his furious eyes at her.

"Uzumaki Akane! Did you meet Naruto and tell her that you refused to acknowledge her?" His voice was only a whisper but hazel eyes promised the punishment of the lifetime if his daughter decided to lie to him. How could the little punk not tell anyone? Not even her own mother? He clenched his hands into a fist.

His daughter straightened her back. "So what if I did? I was telling her the damn truth! She is the fucking reason that we are in this mess!"

"You had no right, Akane!" He smashed his fist against the wall and the girl trembled, lips curled into a scowl as her green eyes locked onto him. _Your fault._ That was what those blue eyes kept telling him or maybe he pictured Kushina looking at him again, telling him that she was the reason that she was sent to a village that refused to accept her as a citizen.

That he was the reason she became a jinchuuriki.

"Why? Because you just wanted to accept a stranger so easily into the clan!" Akane stomped her feet to the ground. The words bounced from wall to wall, almost loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Thankfully he placed the silence seals since it seemed like almost everyday there was an argument, if not between him and Akane then it was between Akane and Kiko.

_She isn't a stranger. She is Kushina's child._ The words were on the tip of his tongue but then Akane trembled, hand clenched into a fist and tears leaked out of her eyes. The words died down and his daughter grinded her teeth together, green eyes flashing with rage and she smashed her hand on the coffee table.

"She doesn't know our ways!" Akane trembled and looked at the seals placed around the house. "I spent years and years learning how to do those seals because it is apart of our clan. The kids and me worked so hard to learn this ancient art because only an Uzumaki knows this and this bitch comes in with our last name, and you are ready to accept her!"

Kenji pressed his lips into a thin line.

"And there is the fact that she entered Yuuei High!" Akane grinded her teeth together. "You always made it a point to tell us that we can't ever enter that school! I might have been five but I remember how furious you were when Eisuke-niisan brought up the idea of entering Yuuei High Heroic Department! You made him sleep outside!"

Kenji flinched as another pair of green eyes flashed before him. His wife made him sleep in the couch, threatened to divorce him if he ever pulled that stunt again.

"Do you know I had to give some bullshit explanation to my teachers on why I didn't consider Yuuei?" She snarled. "Do you know how many times I have to watch my seniors or friends talk about going there? I know we can do better than them but because I have to be your daughter, I can't just apply there. That girl enters and you are ready to accept her! It isn't fair!"

_But everything I did was to protect the clan._ The words were on the tip of his tongue but he sees Akane trembling and crying, reminding him that he had been stifling some of her dreams. He stopped Eisuke from going because he didn't want the world to know they existed.

He never imposed for them to learn combat because he thinks no one would be reckless and stupid enough to enter Yuuei. But Kenji never expected Kushina's child to come. He thought she would live in Konoha, filled with love from her parents and grandmother. There would have been no reason for her to come.

Japan was a rumor to the Elemental Countries, but their clan knew the truth because they created the seals and placed the genjutsu that allowed the Elemental Countries to be ignorant. It had been done by Ashura, who saw his brother's teaching taking over the various countries in the Elemental Countries. With the help of his youngest son, they had been able to place a genjutsu and seal around the lands.

There was a teleportation seal in their Clan's shrine that connected them here, and that was how they came here. But the world was changing and the Elemental Countries found out.

Kenji didn't know how the Sports Festival being broadcasted to the various countries came to be, but he does know that the seals might need to be reapplied again. That he would need to add a new condition to it, because he really doesn't want anything to happen to the clan.

"I messed up," his daughter blinked and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I should have given you and the other children the chance of entering any school that you wanted. I don't regret forcing all of you to learn seals but I was too late when it comes to teaching you the shinobi arts."

Akane stared at him, blinking at the fact that he was willing to admit to her that he wronged them.

"But Naruto didn't know about the Sports Festival," he informed her. "She is, by no means innocent, but she knows that she messed up and she figured out who might have taken Tomo-chan. She had no clue that this would happen."

His daughter snorted. "How the hell could she not know? Didn't you tell everyone that the Elemental Countries watch it? Why doesn't she know?"

"We have to ask her," Kenji admitted. "But she is apologetic for what happened."

His daughter grunted. "Too late for sorry now, isn't it?"

"It is," Kenji sighed and looked at the photo of Tomoyo, Eisuke and their friend Touya. His eyes fixated on the turquoise eyes of Touya, lips pressed into a thin line as a memory washed over him. "But she is sorry."

His daughter grinded her teeth and locked eyes on the photo of her being swung around by Tomoyo. Kenji flickered his eyes through the various photo, hazel eyes closing and body drained as various voices echoed in his head. _ You should try being compassionate, Kenji. _Ren-niisan told him this after he called Kushina a big crybaby in the first year of the anniversary of her parents' deaths.

"Akane, I know you want to be a hero like your brother but having skills isn't enough to be a good hero," he kept his voice as calm and even as he could be. "Do you know why I accept your brother's request when he asks me if he can take up my title? It isn't just because I chose him to be the Uzushiokage when I retire or die, it is because he has compassion. He takes after your uncle Ren…you, on the other hand, are too much like me. In this time and age, the world needs it."

If he was honest, he was probably the hardest on Akane because he doesn't want her to end up like him.

"Your Mum keeps reminding me of that and I see it now," Kenji grumbled. His daughter blinked. "But this isn't a good thing. If you want to be a good hero then you need to learn to be compassionate and understanding. You can't ever hope to reach the top 10 if you lack that quality. A lack of compassion is good as a shinobi but not as a hero."

His daughter slumped her shoulders. "But she is the—"

"Naruto is judging the members of our clan because of you," he warned her with eyes narrowing at the tone. "She wants nothing to do with us because of the fact that you treated her without any manners."

"Well doesn't that make her judgmental too!"

"And here is the sound of the arguing duo!" The father and daughter turned their body around, eyes widening when they caught sight of Akira. The old woman leaned against her cane, violet eyes not looking one bit amused at the sight before her. Both father and daughter stood up straight, sweating at the way her violet eyes narrowed at them. "Were you acting disrespectful again, Akane?"

His daughter grunted.

"Grunt at me and I will whack you with my crane," the woman bark. Akane flinched and nodded her head, causing the woman to roll her eyes and strolled towards the girl. She chopped her in the head. "If you have enough time to act disrespectful to your father then you have enough time to master that seal you have been inventing."

Akane bobbed her head.

"What were the two of you arguing over? I could almost see the house shaking from my walk," Akira commented lightly, taking a seat on the sofa.

Kenji sighed. "The little punk met Naruto and told her that she refused to acknowledge her as a member of the clan. This is probably the reason that Naruto wants nothing to do with us."

_I probably made the situation worse by threatening her._ He probably had to do a lot of groveling and apologizing to the girl. The thought made him groaned. He was a grown man, who now needed to apologize to a teenager. Honestly if he had known of what happened then he wouldn't have done the things he did. His grandfather must be rolling over his grave.

Kushina would be so delighted to know he was breaking his pride to do this.

"Did you do something stupid again, stupid Kenji?" Akira leaned her body and looked at the shelf while his daughter snickered at the nickname that his grandfather's sister gave him. The man narrowed his eyes at his daughter, who flinched and hung her shoulders.

"I threatened Naruto to come to the Clan Meeting so we can get answers of what happened to Tomoyo," he admitted, running his hand through his hair.

Akira stared at him for a good couple of minutes, violet eyes looking at him like she thought that he was the biggest idiot in the world. Every single time the woman gazed at him, Kenji feels the urge to squirm and hide from her eyes. What does the old woman do to have such an effect?

"You inherited your mother's looks but her brains was definitely passed onto Asa," Kenji flinched as Akira tapped her cane on the ground. "And knowing you, you probably want me to go to this meeting so that I can confirm whether or not Uzumaki Naruto is an Uzumaki so that everyone won't go causing _trouble_."

Akane flinched when the woman turned her eyes at her. The woman shook her head, violet eyes looking at his child like she was the biggest disappointment, before locking on the photo of his grandfather. Her lips twitched into a small smile before being schooled into a calm expression.

"I acknowledge that Naruto is Kushina's child," the father and daughter blinked as Akira rubbed her chin. The elderly woman locked eyes onto the smiling face of Tomoyo.

Akane gawked. "Just like that? But you haven't even met—"

"I met her on my way to my shop," Akira corrected. The woman rubbed her chin and chuckled. "And she is definitely her mother's daughter. Her hair and eye colour looks exactly like the man that Kushina keeps telling me that she plans to marry."

Kenji blinked. "You knew about Minato? I thought—"

"Your cousin was as sneaky as her father had been when he was dating her mother," Akira rolled her eyes. "Honestly I'm surprised that Kushina didn't end up having a child that is older than Eisuke with the amount of times I caught her coming back to her home the next day, in the same clothes she left."

Kenji groaned and shuddered. "I don't need to know that!"

"Don't act like your cousin was an innocent little wallflower," Akira declared. "She wasn't keeping her relationship with that boy a secret from anyone."

"Did you tell her that you know?" Kenji demanded. This whole time he thought Kushina had been keeping her relationship with that pansy a secret from Akira. _She made me promise not to tell Akira-obaachan!_ Wait, did she do this to him on purpose? Did that little brat make him promise because she knew that he was terrified of keeping secrets from Akira?

Oh, Kushina was good.

Akira hummed. "I confronted her about it and she tells me she was going to marry Minato, whether me and your grandfather accepted it or not."

"That sounds something she would do." Kenji muttered as Akane just gawked at them. Akira sighed and shook her head, violet eyes softening and looking out to the various photos. The elder woman rubbed her joints, moving it back and forth as a small hum came.

Akane looked back and forth between them, green eyes widening as she processed what Akira had just said. She slumped her shoulders, frowned at the elder woman and knitted her eyebrows. "You accept her just like that? But why Akira-sama? How can you even be so sure that she is Kushina-obaachan's child?"

"Because she smiled even though she was in pain and that was what her grandfather would do and she is a carbon copy of her mother except for the hair and eye color," Akira answered simply, shaking her head. "And also because I am not stupid enough to believe that the Third Hokage would have given her our last name, if it wasn't for the fact that she was an Uzumaki. But there is something else that we will need to do."

Kenji felt dread when he saw the calculating glint in the woman's eyes. His whole body sweated and trembled as the elder woman tapped her cane against the floor, lips pressed into a very thin and eyes locked onto the photo of Tomoyo.

"We need to confirm if Naruto is the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki."

He forgot about that detail.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think.


	21. Chapter 21 part 1

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed.

* * *

Uzumaki Tomoyo was only three and half when she learnt just how wonderful her Quirk, or Kekkei Genkai as her father called it.

It was a memory she remembers so well even though she had been young. At that age, children were curious and waited with excitement for their Quirks. Your Quirk defined you or so Tomoyo understood from watching the children in her nursery. She doesn't fully understands why people say that. Her Daddy didn't actually have a Quirk but he never gets annoyed whenever Mummy uses her Quirk in front of them.

He never lets it defined him.

Her family lives in a nice neighbourhood, close to Uncle Kenji and his family. Eisuke was her older cousin, only older than her by a year. They have a lot of family members but Eisuke was the only one close to her age and was just like her. Both of their mothers had been born here and not in the strange lands of their fathers. Eisuke lives near her and Tomoyo guessed it was why they were so close.

It was probably that and the fact her parents always heals him whenever he does something stupid._ I'm All Might._ That was what Eisuke will always say whenever they play in the playground with the other kids. Tomoyo likes All Might and heroes but she was never going to become a hero.

She know what she wants to be and it was to be a doctor like her parents.

If Eisuke becomes a hero then he will need a doctor and Tomoyo will be that doctor, because her Mummy and Daddy would not always be there to fix his booboos. Her Father finds it funny when she tells him this, while her Mother shakes her head and tells her that she shouldn't worry about Eisuke becoming hero.

"_Just wait till the both of you go to high school, maybe the both of you will change your mind."_ Her mother said when she puts on her doctor coat and gets ready to go for work. Her father comes in, rubbing his chin and putting on his coat too. The little girl wrinkles her nose and looks away when her parents peck each other on the lips.

Tomoyo jumps off from her seat, heading straight to the living room to take her bagpack and head to her nursery with her father. What happens next was something Tomoyo will never forget. At the age of three, Tomoyo was still innocent and has no understanding that it was possible for a kid near her age to get hurt. When she thinks of booboos, she thinks of tiny cuts but not of big wounds.

The doorbell rang throughout the house and Tomoyo drops her bag, hurrying straight to the door with her violet eyes shining with curiosity. She looks to the kitchen and sees her parents were still talking, her mother flickering her eyes to the crib where her little brother slept, before looking at her. Her father stared at her with harden eyes and later Tomoyo will learn that her father was trying to convince her mother about letting her learn how to defend herself.

She pulls open the door and blinks at the sight of Eisuke with a frail red-haired boy filled with so many cuts and bruises. Compared to her older cousin, the boy was just a little bit shorter and thinner than her cousin if that was even possible. But what really stood out to Tomoyo at that time was his turquoise eyes. It wasn't how pretty it look but the amount of fear and growing rage in them.

"_Is Obaachan here? Or even the Old Goat?"_ Eisuke asked her, gently pushing the boy into the house. Tomoyo nods and flickered her eyes to the kitchen, where her parents were still talking quietly. Neither of them noticed the fact that her cousin was here with a little boy filled with so many injuries, they seemed more concern with looking at each other and arguing in hush whispers.

"_What did you do this time, Ei-kun?"_ Tomoyo asked, grabbing Eisuke in the arm. Her cousin frowns at her, looking offended that she would blame him for putting the hurt little boy in that condition. At the time, it seemed logical. Eisuke could never play gentle. _He takes after his father in that way._ That was what her Daddy tells to Uncle Kenji and his wife whenever Eisuke comes to their house with any broken bones or bruises.

Sometimes he brings his friends because Eisuke can't control his strength.

"_I didn't do anything to To-chan!"_ Her cousin grumbled, looking around her small house. He lowered his voice as his friend looks around the house with hesitance. "_He came to my house like this and you know my Pops doesn't know anything about healing people. Why do you think we came here?"_

Tomoyo flickered her eyes at the boy, Eisuke called To-chan, and her eyes lingered on the numerous scratches and hidden bruises in his body. When Tomoyo looks back and thinks back to the numerous theories about Quirks, she thinks there was a few that made sense. One of them was the theory that there was always some things that drew you to use your Quirk or rather makes you want to use it in the very beginning.

Eisuke was always drawn to water, always longing to manipulate it like his mother.

For Tomoyo, it had been the sight of the numerous wounds on Todoroki Touya.

Her cousin blinks when Tomoyo walks closer to Touya, hands hovering around his wounds. She sees the blood, puts her hands and she doesn't know what gives her the idea of nipping her thumb to draw out the blood. Her blood seeps out, soaking him and Tomoyo moves it around and listens to the voice in her head.

The cuts and bruises fades, growing smaller and smaller until it disappears but the burn marks only fades slightly. No matter how many times Tomoyo tries to manipulate her blood, tries to soak it and get rid of the burnt marks…it doesn't work. _Tomoyo later learns that there was only so much she can heal with her Quirk._ Eisuke stares at her with wide eyes, looks at her like she was the most amazing person in the world while Touya just stares at her.

Later, Tomoyo thinks it is because he didn't think she would have the courage to fix his wounds.

"_You're all better now!"_ She beams and looks at her handiwork, delighted not with the knowledge that she has a Quirk but she helped someone. At the age of three, Tomoyo wanted to be like her mother and father. Well more like her Mother since her Father liked to hit people and he can be really scary when he gets angry.

_When Tomoyo was eighteen, she decides that the temper and rashness is a trait that all Uzumaki shares…even her._

"_Tomo-chan, how many times must I…Eisuke!"_ Her mother blinks and stares at the two boys, blue eyes fixated on Tomoyo's hovering hand above his wounds in her arm. The three of them didn't understand what happens next, her mother stares at the blood and grabs her hand.

"_I came here to get To-chan healed by you or the Old Goat but Tomo-chan healed him!"_ Eisuke declared happily and just like a genie, her father appears with a scowl as he always did whenever Eisuke calls him by that nickname. Touya looked at the four of them with quietness and nervousness that didn't suit him.

_When Tomoyo gets to know Touya, she thinks that he has two personalities. There was Touya, the sweet and loving boy that just wanted to protect his siblings and his mother, and then there was the other Touya. The other Touya scares her. Because that Touya hates heroes and hates anyone that wants to be a hero. But most of all, it scares her because he is filled with so much anger._

"_Eisuke-kun, did you say Tomo-chan heal your friend?"_ There was no joy in her mother's voice and when Tomoyo looks back at this memory, she understood the reason for her mother's distress. _Because healing Quirk were a treasure to the world around them but a curse to the person holding it. _But at three, Tomoyo was hurt that her mother was not proud that she had a Quirk just like her.

Eisuke nods his head and smiled widely. "_Tomo-chan is the best, right To-chan?"_

Touya stares at her, his turquoise eyes fixated on her cut hands, and nods his head in agreement. He doesn't smile and even when Tomoyo looks back, she can only count the number of times that Touya smiles. _Fuyumi had always been the smiling twin, always pretending things were right in their family. But Touya was the one that tells the truth._

Sometimes when Tomoyo looks back, she wonders what cemented her desire to be a doctor. Had it been her parents? Her little brother? Fuyumi and her family? Or had it been her cousin? She doesn't know what was it but she does remember that was the day her mother warns her.

"_Asa, can you look over Eisuke-kun's friend while I talk to Tomo-chan?"_ Her father raised his eyebrow but doesn't question her. Sometimes Tomoyo wondered if her father did have a Quirk and if it was mindreading, because he never questions her mother about why she wanted to talk to her.

Her mother wrapped her slender, frail arms around Tomoyo and drags her to the kitchen. Tomoyo doesn't understand what was happening but she knows she might get into trouble for using her newfound Quirk. _Because Mummy only talks to her alone whenever Tomoyo goes along with any reckless plans that Eisuke makes._ She closes her eyes and waits for the scolding, only to blink when her mother holds her by the arm.

"_Tomo-chan, you __**must **__**never**__ use your Quirk in public."_ Her mother informed her with a voice of steel.

Tomoyo blinked. "_But why? It helps people! I helped that boy when you and Father were arguing!"_

Her mother steadied her shaking arms, kneels down and fixated her eyes on her. In all of Tomoyo's memories, her mother had always been calm and rational but also very loving. If her father acted like fire with all his passions, then her mother was as cold as ice because nothing ever fazed her mother.

But her mother had been terrified.

"_You have a wonderful Quirk,"_ her mother tells her. "_A gentle Quirk like mine, but there are bad people in the world Tomoyo. They will do anything to get a Quirk like ours and that is why you must __**promise**__ me never to use it in public."_

Tomoyo promises her mother that day but Tomoyo will admit that she never plan to keep her promise. Why would she? She can save lives and heal people. She just wanted to be like her parents. So whenever Eisuke comes with any of his friends, she heals them. She heals them without a second thought, always thinking that her parents never needed to know about her actions.

At the age of eight, Tomoyo was kidnapped after some man watched her heal Touya on their way back from school and when Tomoyo looks back, she thinks it might have been God's way of telling her not to break her promise to her mother.

Even though she had been kidnapped once, Tomoyo never learns her lesson.

* * *

"You will need to get some change of clothes before we go to the meeting, Naruto."

Naruto wrinkled her nose at her red-haired friend and looked down at the casual outfit that she wore to their meeting. It was her usual orange hoodie crop top and then down to her jeans before looking at Gaara's shirt and pants. Her lips curled into a frown as the countless memories of Hinata and Sasuke scolding her for her choice of outfits for formal meetings. _If this is a formal thing then I will need to wear a full-sleeved shirt._

"A proper shirt will do, won't it? I don't need to wear a kimono, do I?"

Gaara shakes and darted his eyes to Shouto. Her friend flickered his eyes around the empty streets, mismatch eyes filled with weariness as if waiting for something to happen, before looking back at them. He doesn't ask them why a change of shirt was needed or why she doesn't want to wear a kimono when her hero costume was one.

"Do you still have your Konoha Hitai-ate?" Naruto nodded. She couldn't throw it away even when she wanted to, not when so many of her memories was associated with it. Everything that had been good and bad was associated with this memory. "Then wear your headband with a shirt. We don't know how formal the Uzumaki clan are, but your headband is a good medium."

"They can't be as bad as the Hyuga Clan or the Uchiha Clan," Naruto muttered under her breath. Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line, not looking one bit amused at her words. It seemed funny in her eyes. Almost everyone from the Hyuga Clan seemed uptight, no funny bone in them and Naruto wondered how Hinata could be so different from them.

"I will see you in your apartment later," Gaara rubs his neck. "I need to catch Temari and Kankuro up on everything."

Naruto nodded and watched as her friend walked away, leaving her alone with a silent Shouto. _Why was he still here? He could leave by now._ She twisted her body around and looked at Shouto. The boy raised a single eyebrow at her, looking at her like she was the weirdo to be surprised that he was still here. Was he waiting for her to dismiss him?

He was his own person.

"What are you still doing here?" She doesn't mean to be harsh but the harshness leaks out of her voice unintentionally. Maybe it was because she just wanted to relax and gather her thoughts before facing the Uzumaki Clan. If she was going to do this meeting without being judgmental and with the poise of a wonderful kunoichi, then she needed to prepare herself like it was another battle.

"I am going to walk you back home." She blinked and smiled apologetically at him. Her friend looked down and his mismatch eyes fixated on her eyes. They dropped further down to her stomach, lingering intensely on her stomach. She blinked and looked down at her own stomach, eyebrows furrowed to see if there was anything wrong with it. _Why is he staring at it?_ She wasn't slightly chubby like when she was when she was twelve.

Was he trying to hint to something?

"Is there something wrong with my stomach?" Shouto blinks and jerks his head away from her stomach, clearing his throat as his cheeks burned red. The usual emotionless eyes of her friend twinkled with embarrassment, hinting to her that he was doing something that he shouldn't be doing. Naruto smiled and lets out a laugh, not her usual boisterous laugh from her childhood but the little laugh that she thinks only Hinata hears.

"N-Nothing." He looked away as his voice went slightly higher, almost like he was embarrassed.

Naruto shook her head, blue eyes twinkling with mischief and she slithered her arms around his arm, hugging him close to her. "Does Shouto want to _see everything?"_

"_N-Naruto?"_ Naruto let out a laugh and looks at the flustered boy, blue eyes fixated on the growing redness of his face. This was probably not the time or place to fluster him. It was not even appropriate with what was happening but the redness of his cheeks and the way he quickly looked away…well it had been just _too tempting_ to her.

"Kidding," she smiled widely when the boy looked away from her. "I was just teasing you."

Shouto cleared his throat, looked at her hands wrapped around his arm before darting his eyes to her own twinkling eyes. His eyes fixated on her lips for a couple of seconds before looking back at her own eyes. "Then does that mean I'm allowed to tease you?"

Her throat dried up and her whole body shivered, almost as if she had a very cold ice-bath, with the intensity coursing through Shouto's eyes. She doesn't know why but her eyes flickered to his lips. _Will it be cold? Hot? Or would it be a mixture of both?_ She gulped and looked away from him, cheeks burning red.

_Once this internship is over, I'm going to resign from helping Ero-Sennin with his books._

That man ruined her innocent mind.

"Anyways, I'm guessing that you want to talk to me about something." Naruto cleared her throat and looked away from Shouto, wishing for her red cheeks to fade away. _Either I flirt shamelessly like my clone or I will babble without a filter._ She doesn't want him to think that she was not being serious about things. "I mean you must have more questions. You were asking a lot questions in the café, more than usual."

"I have no understanding of what was happening," he reminded her. Shouto fixated his eyes on her, mismatch eyes tracing her smooth whiskers marks on her cheeks. She shivered and her throat dried up, almost like she was in a desert and a part of her wondered what could quench it. "No clues or any prior knowledge to base it on."

The easy-going banter between them seemed to have faded, replaced with tension. Naruto rubbed the back of her neck with her other hand, unlinking her arms from him and closed her eyes. It was only a couple of seconds already but she already missed his warmth. She darted her eyes to Shouto's eyes, trembling and shivering at the shimmering anger in his eyes.

It had been a long time since she saw this type of anger.

"You are furious with me." She tried to keep her tone light and easy, blue eyes fixated on the empty streets. Gulping down a lump and steadying her body, Naruto twisted her body around and looked at him. Her whole body trembled and her eyebrows twitched as she tried to reign in her temper.

"Not with you…with the situation." His voice was quiet and calm, enough to relax her body and to lure her in like a trap.

His eyes seemed to penetrate straight at her and Naruto steadied her trembling body, blue eyes fixated on him. She understood the frustration. From the distance, children's laughter echoed throughout the streets as if to remind her of what was at stakes now. Whatever was happening between her and Shouto…it was not helping her at all. It distracted her from the situation at hand and Naruto needed to focus.

Kids were being kidnapped because of her rash behaviour in the Sports Festival.

"What is happening right now…it is my fault." The words hung in the air and Shouto gazed at her, mismatch eyes drilling straight at her. Was he going to tell her that it was not her fault? Because nothing could be said that this was not her fault. What happened to all those children and to her potential relative was the result of her desire to apologize to Hinata. She never thought nor knew about the Sports Festival.

Did the Third Hokage keep it a secret because she was a jinchuuriki?

Did he have a feeling she might run away if she thinks that there was a chance of happiness?

"Naruto, has there been anything else that you have been hiding from the heroes?" Maybe the fact she has a nine-tailed monster in her stomach but Naruto doesn't think the heroes would need to know that. The Akatuski would be after her and not the citizens of Japan, so they were good.

She shook her head.

"Do you really have a Guardian?" Her arm brushed passed him, barely a touch but it was enough for her to jerk her head at him. Mismatch eyes blinked and looked down at her arm before flickering his eyes to her hands. She waited for him to say something but he just looked away, mismatch eyebrows knitted together before relaxing.

She nibbled her bottom lip and tucked a strand of her hair back, blue eyes locked on his neck. "In this place, Jiraiya had to be considered my guardian but where I come from? Nope. He never took care of me or had any responsibilities to take care of me. He is my mentor like how Endeavour is being towards you."

Shouto nodded and mismatch eye locked onto her own blue eyes. "Who took care of you over there? Did you stay with the matron after what she did to you? Was it even true?"

"The story about the matron and me was no lie," she declared, body trembling as the memory played in her mind. _A monster._ The words echoed in her ear like a bad song that just did not want to be forgotten. "I won't ever lie about something that. Two years after that incident…I decided to run away and I lived in the streets for a year."

Mismatch eyes widened and Naruto closed her eyes. Even when she closed her eyes, those hateful, cold eyes looked passed her and ignored her very existence. The cold winds from long ago decided to nip her as if to remind her of those terrible days when she wondered if she would live till the next winter. Winter was beautiful but it could be so cruel.

"The leader of my home found me," Naruto said softly. "Took me in for a week before giving me an apartment that I can live in. It wasn't the best apartment…but it was home to me. My safe haven from the streets."

Shouto gazed down at her, mismatch eyes searching her eyes for something and Naruto looked back at him. Was he looking for sadness? For her, she was and maybe would always be grateful for the fact that the Hokage saved her from the streets. If the Hokage never offered his hand then Naruto feared what she would have been like.

"It seems unthinkable to allow a child to raise themselves and it is," Naruto looked at the streets. "But the world Gaara and I were raised in, it doesn't believe that children should be children."

Her friend raised his eyebrow. _What do you mean exactly?_ She nibbled her bottom lip, pushing her lip back and forth. Shouto flickered down to Naruto's teeth for a couple of seconds before looking away, shaking his head furiously. It was one thing to hear about them being child soldiers, something unconceivable in his mind, but there was nothing thing that she could use.

"In Japan, you need to be 18 to vote right? But even though you are old enough to vote, you are not old enough to run for Prime Minister right?" Shouto bobbed his head, knitting his eyebrows at where she was going with this. "The place Gaara and I come from…isn't like that. Gaara is sixteen but in the next coming months, he will become the leader of his home."

Todoroki blinked and jerked his head to the road that Gaara had just went on. Mismatch eyes widened and he looked almost stupefied if that was even possible. Naruto curled her lips and fingers reached down to her bag, ready to pull out a camera to take a photo but something stopped her. Maybe it was the fact that she wanted the image to only be known to her.

That she was the only one capable of making him like this.

"It is a huge responsibility."

Naruto nodded and locked her eyes on him. "His village prides strength and out of everyone in his family, Gaara is the strongest. Strength equals protection in their eyes and Gaara wants to keep his village safe. If the heroes knows of what is happening, he fears that his village will get in harms way. He worries every innocent person in those lands will die deaths that could have been prevented."

Shouto stared at her and Naruto straightened her back. She looked around the empty streets, flickering her eyes to the clouds above them, and forced herself to relax. She tiptoed, hands reaching for his face and pulled him down till they were only a few centimetres apart. No one could hear what was going to be said.

"I am taking a big risk by telling you, Shouto and you can't tell anyone about what is happening," Mismatch eyes locked onto her own eyes. He curled his lips into a frown, opening his mouth to argue and the blonde placed her finger on his lips. She suppressed the shiver and stared at him with serious eyes. "Gaara, his siblings and me have got this under control. I know we can find those kids before the end of this week."

Shouto looked at her finger and slowly pushed it away. "You need to prove it, Naruto."

"I know."

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It is one thing to say it, Naruto but you need to show it with your actions. What will happen if you can't find them by the end of this week?"

"I will drop out and search for them." She cleared her throat as her heart raced against her chest at the very idea of not finding those kids and her potential relative. "I don't want those kids to become tools. I want them to continue having the childhood that Gaara, me and the other kids never had."

Shouto kept quiet and tightened his grip on her. _Did I choose the wrong answer?_ Something told her that it had been a bad idea to bring up her childhood. The words _what do you want me to say_ was on the tip of her tongue, ready to spill out but Naruto held her ground. There was no other solution. The government would declare war and more children would be forced to see the battlefield. She might have never seen one but she could imagine one.

"Don't do anything reckless." Mismatch eyes stared down at her with so much concern that it made her falter. _Sometimes I wish he can be an asshole._ Assholes were easy to deal with but a guy like Shouto scared her. He represented the things Naruto kept suppressing, emotions that she doesn't know how to deal with.

Naruto smiled. "What? Don't want to visit me in the hospital again?"

He didn't even smile at her attempted joke.

"I don't want to live with the constant fear that you are going to die from your reckleness."

Maybe it was the intensity of those words or maybe she was being rash again. When Naruto looks back, she thinks it was because she was being rash from those words. Because no one ever fully vocalize their fear to her about her dying. Or maybe she knows she could potentially not come back but she does know this.

What she did next was completely out of character of her and came from the heat of her emotions.

She brushed her lips against his. His scent enveloped her and maybe it was silly of her but she really did feel like her legs was shaking like a pair of leaves. Mismatch eyes widened and his lips parted slightly as his cold and heated breath touched her, wrapping itself around her. Her hand reached out to touch his hair, to feel its smoothness as her emotions rushed all around her.

She wanted so much more…

Blue eyes widened and Naruto tore her lips off of him, cheeks growing red and she squeaked. "I-I should go."

What the hell was happening to her?

* * *

**A/N: The actual chapter is split in two parts because I felt like the other scenes would just be too long. To be honest, I wasn't going to write the kissing scene here but it felt kind of right to put it here. Please tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think the tension between Shouto and Naruto? And of the glimpse of Tomoyo's background? In Nirvana, I never wrote their tension like this so this is kind of new to me, so constructive criticism is welcomed. The second half of the chapter will be posted next Thursday.**


	22. Chapter 21 part 2

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that reviewed the first part of the chapter as well as everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows.**

* * *

_He will explain better and maybe more rationally why the head of your clan is being an absolute idiot to decide to tell the government about my part of the world._

Keigo rubbed his chin and flashed an easy-going smile to Uzushiokage's sidekicks as he walked straight towards his fellow hero's office. Had he mean to overhear the conversation between his fellow hero and his intern? No but things had looked suspicious with the way Uzushiokage's father kept eyeing the girl. He ran his hand through his hair before knocking the door to his office.

The fact that the main sidekick was not here told Keigo that his fellow hero might be discussing things with his sidekick. _I doubt those two would even have time to get busy with his cousin being missing._ He curled his lips into a huge smile when Uzushiokage's voice called for him to come in.

The door slid opened and Keigo stepped in, lips curled into a large smile as a green-haired woman smiled at him. The young sidekick gave a slight bow, looked at Uzushiokage with a concern look before dashing straight out of the office. Keigo swirled his head to look at Uzushiokage, who seemed to have his shoulders relax, and now had his eyes fixated on him.

"What are you doing here, Hawks?" Uzushiokage kept his tone light and cheerful, a smile plastered on his face and Keigo would admit that he had to give his fellow hero some credit on pretending to be fine. Keigo just smiled widely as his eyes flickered around the office, fixating his eyes on the photos (both new and old) that seemed to decorate the office.

Most of the photos were of Uzushiokage with his family but there was a photo that stood out to Hawks. It was a photo of Uzushiokage in his middle school outfit, arms wrapped around two people and a third person. A gray-haired, violet eye girl that had a large smile playing on her lips. _Uzumaki Tomoyo._ The other person in the photo was a red-haired boy with turquoise eyes, who had only a tiny smile playing on his lips.

_There is no denying that in that photo Uzumaki Tomoyo looked more happy._ Keigo pressed his lips and flickered his eyes to the photo that Uzushiokage's uncle gave him. The 21-year-old Tomoyo was a woman that looked like she rarely smiled, violet eyes always seemed on guard and he supposed that there was a story behind it.

The fourth person in the picture was a white-haired girl with red highlights, who seemed to be looking amused at the interactions between them.

"Interested in my cousin?" Uzushiokage asked lightly, folding his arms against the back of his neck. "Even when we rescue her, Tomo-chan won't be interested with dating a hero. She always rejected all my potential attempts of matchmaking."

Keigo stared at the red-haired man. Despite the large smile on Uzushiokage, his fellow hero had his eyes fixated on the photo of Tomoyo and the red-haired boy. There seemed to be some bitterness in his eyes and his tone seemed laced with resignation as if he wanted his cousin to take his suggestion. Even if Keigo was interested in Uzushiokage's cousin, he had no time for relationships.

With the people that needed to be save, relationships were more of a distraction and hindrance.

"You know I can hear some interesting things from the roof," Keigo commented, plucking a feather from his wings. He twirled it around, keeping his brown eyes fixated on the stiff hero, and dropped all smiles in front of the hero. "Imagine my surprise when I saw you confronting my intern. You know how much of a busybody I can be, so I couldn't help but hear your conversations."

Sweat began to dribble down from Uzushiokage and the man jumped off from his seat. The man dashed straight towards the door, only to stop when Keigo threw the feather straight to the door. The red-haired man stopped, swirled his body and took a deep breath. "Really? You have to do this?"

"It is a good thing that you avoid fighting," Keigo commented. "You are the better fighter. Between the two of us, you should have been the number three. Your ratings are probably just as high as mine but you have been holding back. In fact, there are a lot of things you have been hiding."

Uzushiokage grimaced and pulled out the feather, throwing it straight at him. Keigo raised his eyebrow, caught the feather and watched as the red-haired man walked around the room. _What is he doing?_ The red-haired hero put his hand around a couple of characters, a blue light emitting from his hand that seemed to travel down to the characters. The characters glow and Keigo wondered what was going to happen.

Keigo doubt Uzushiokage would attack him.

"Now we can talk," Uzushiokage said calmly, walking to the fridge in the corner. The red-haired man knelt down, pulled open the fridge's door and shuffled through the content of the fridge. Sighing, the man pulled out a can of coffee and tossed it to Keigo. The number three hero caught the can, blinking when he saw that it was his favorite brand. "This is the only type of coffee that I have. Whenever Tomo-chan has her break, she would come in to check up on me and she would always drink this."

Keigo nodded.

The red-haired man took out a can of soda and drank it. "So talk. What did you hear?"

"Her part of the world? Clan? What have you been hiding from us, Uzushiokage?" Keigo opened the can of coffee and looked at the hero. The red-haired man pressed his lips into a thin line, body slumping at those words. Keigo narrowed his eyes. "You had an idea this whole time about who have been taking those kids."

"_Why couldn't he be an idiot?"_ Uzushiokage muttered under his breath. The man straightened his back, green eyes flashed with no humour, and the red-haired man curled his lips into a frown. "Perhaps I have been keeping secrets but I can't tell you anything. Knowing you, you would go to the commission if I tell you anything. They cannot know what is the cause of these kidnapping."

"And I will go to the commission if you don't tell me anything," Keigo informed him. He rubbed his chin and eyed the red-haired hero. Each one of them had to work with the commission in some way or form, following their orders like good puppies. They had some power over them and it was curious to know Uzushiokage was keeping things from them.

The man grinded his teeth. "If you go to them then you will make everyone overwork even more. You think if you tell them that we will have less work? We will be worked to the ground even more and my clones won't be enough to handle this mess you plan to bring."

Keigo almost smiled at those words and the blond-haired hero leaned forward, brown eyes fixated on his fellow hero. "Then convince me why I shouldn't go to them. What is the connection between my intern and the kidnappings? What do you mean by clan?"

Uzushiokage grinded his teeth. "If I tell you then how do I know you won't go to them?"

"Do you want me to tell them that one of their Top Five heroes had been keeping a secret from them?" Keigo said airily. "I mean I can always tell them that you have a connection to the kidnappings."

Uzushiokage clenched his hands into a fist and his jaws seemed to be grinded together like he was holding himself back from punching him. Keigo smiled wider. Oh he knew he had his fellow hero under his belt, dancing to his tune. If he informed the commission then they would take away his license and that was the worst injury to Uzushiokage's pride.

"Fine," the red-haired man shook his head and spat the words out to him. "I will explain but you will need to zip your mouth when it comes to the commission. The government cannot know what is happening right now or else a World War Three might just break out."

So Uzushiokage explained the whole situation to him. Hawks could only raise his eyebrows at him, brown eyes widening at the knowledge of the Elemental Countries and their capabilities as well as their desires. The way their countries had been separated by his clan along with the way that Naruto had let them known by her speech. The more and more he hears, the more Hawks thinks that this was a plotline to some comic book.

"…and that is why they cannot know." Uzushiokage finished.

Hawks hummed and rubbed his chin, looking at the photo of Uzushiokage with his two sisters. _A lot of innocent people will die if the commission knows about this._ Not all of the Heroes would have Quirks that could deal with attacks from a shinobi. His Quirk was more suited for rescue, battles were not his area of specialty since his Quirk was not that special.

A war should be prevented, not just to save lives but also because it would be years and years worth of overworking for them and not even Keigo believed that the commission should know about this.

"I am coming to this meeting," Keigo declared with a smile. Eisuke opened his mouth and Hawks held his hand out to his fellow hero. "That is my intern you are meeting with, and I want to know her side of the story. I want to know what she uncovered. So either I go or the commission will find out about this, so take your pick."

"Why couldn't you actually be an actual lazy ass?" Eisuke grumbled.

_Because the world would never let him._

Keigo could only laugh as the thought echoed in his ears.

* * *

"You still can't get a boat!"

"Well you took more kids than the Tsuchikage asked of us! He wanted five kids! And you took eight kids along with an adult! Why don't you ask the traitor to help us!"

Tomoyo eyed the arguing ninja from her tied spot in the corner of the warehouse. It had only been a few days since she kidnapped, since they brought her here to the warehouse. From the terrains that they passed on their way here, she could guess that they were in one of the warehouses in Hosu. The terrains made sense to what she knew about the small city but it was frustrating to know that these ninjas didn't think when they kidnap her.

_I thought shinobi were smart but these guys seems more like all brawn and no brains. _Those three shinobi kept making the same argument for the last two days. No boat. They hadn't found a big enough boat to take them to their part of the world, not when they kept taking more kids than needed and definitely not when they couldn't bring someone to drive a boat.

"Why didn't you just steal one?" The woman of the group argued.

The man scowled. "You think I haven't tried? When I asked that no good cousin of mine to help hide security tape, bastard told me that the deal did not include boats or anything. I don't want to anger that asshole when we still need him for later."

"Why don't you just ask him how he does it?" Another argued.

The main man snarled. "Because it is fucking fuinjutsu! You think I'm knowledgeable in that shit! None of us know how to do it but him. Why do you think he is so prideful and cocky when it comes to us? He knows that we need him more than he needs us."

_If I was to go with that line of thought then was it possible that the man had used a seal that makes genjutsu?_ Tomoyo chewed on her bottom lip, furrowed her eyebrows and rubbed her tied up hands as she tried to loosen the bound ropes from her hands. Genjutsu with a seal was rare but not impossible. But it took a lot of skill and there were only a handful of people in their clan that could do this.

She darted her eyes to the children on her left. Most of them looked like they could be four with one or two being five and six years old, but there was one thing that tied all of them together. All of them had a Kekkei Genkei that these people believed would be useful for them. _Orders or not, taking children is wrong._ These kids had tears in their eyes and were trying their hardest not to cry out.

When the youngest kid cried out, those assholes slapped them hard in their face.

"Neechan, will anyone come to save us?" One of the children asked her quietly. Tomoyo tore her eyes away from the arguing trio and looked at the child. She was just a little girl with long auburn hair but what stood out to Tomoyo was the blue-green eyes of that child. _Eisuke is a fool if he wants to be a hero. A hero doesn't save people, they bring pain._ She grinded her teeth as the words of her childhood friend rung in her ear.

_Eisuke will be different, Touya!_

Her eyes burned slightly like it always did when she thinks of the last conversation they had. The last conversation before Fuyumi came to her, telling her about how her brother just went missing after a bad training with his father. _Don't give a shit about the past. Focus on the future._ She chanted the words in her head and forced herself to smile at the scared, little girl.

"The heroes will come and save us," Tomoyo said with as much cheer as she could muster. "They are searching very hard for us."

Eisuke hadn't gotten any proper sleep since this happened and Tomoyo knew from Fuyumi that many of the Pro-Heroes were looking for these lost kids. But the little girl hunched her back, greenish-blue eyes focused on the ground and Tomoyo grinded her teeth together. The longer and longer they sat here like waiting ducks, the more those kids began to lose hope for the future. _Thank you so much for finding my daughter, Endeavour._ Right. That had been her mother's words when she came back home after that kidnapping.

A part of her would always be grateful for what Endeavour did for her, but she still felt resentment for what he did to her friends.

"Be quiet!" The man snarled, throwing a kunai straight to the box near her. The children whimpered, hunched closer together and Tomoyo bared her teeth at them, violet eyes flashing with rage. Her fingers itched to punch them and to make a chakra blade like how she had done earlier, but these ropes were suffocating her hands.

The man laughed and stalked near her. "You think you can beat me, _princess_? You are weak compared to me."

_You are my daughter, Tomoyo and you have the blood of the Uzumaki Clan flowing through you._ Her father's words echoed in her ear like it always did whenever she get frustrated or furious with her cousin. But those people were mocking her. _I'm a hell lot smarter than you and you wouldn't be laughing once I figure out how to get out of these ropes._ Those words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to whip them into place but Tomoyo reined it in. Angering them would do her no good. She schooled her expression into a blank one as the children stared at them with fear.

The man took her silence as fear and smirked before stalking off to talk to his group member. Tomoyo eyed the kunai, chewing on her bottom lip before hustling closer to it. The children eyed her, eyebrows drawing to their hairline as excitement lit their features. The gray-haired woman jerked her head back, giving them a look to be silent and the children vigorously nodded their heads.

Inhaling, Tomoyo pushed herself up from the floor and bit the kunai handle, pulling it out of the wood and dropping it on the ground as quietly and gently as possible. The trio looked away from each other, flickering their eyes at her position and then to the box, before looking away. _These people forget the position of their own kunai._ If Uncle Kenji or her father were in their position, they would have noticed it.

"Neechan, are you going to cut yourself off of these ropes?" One of the little kids asked quietly.

Tomoyo nodded. "But not now."

_I will need them either distracted or have all three of them asleep before I can escape._ She looked at the kunai hidden between them, lips curled into a sneer as she thought about the patterns that she observed. There was always someone watching over them and when it was time for their lunch, those people would make a shadow clone to watch them. Security was tight and not once had she seen all three of them fall asleep.

_Eisuke, for the love of God, please don't prove Akira-sama and Uncle Kenji right when they call you an idiot._ Tomoyo inhaled and exhaled, wiggling her hands together as to loosen the bounds from the rope. Even if she escaped, a three on one battle would be impossible for her to fight. She could only cause a distraction and allow those kids to escape. But in order for her to do that, she would need Eisuke.

Because it was easy to give clues in land but a hell lot harder in an ocean, where her paper would just simply be forgotten and never to be found again.

"Neechan, I want my mummy." A little boy whimpered.

Violet eyes softened and Tomoyo began to hum the small tune that her father taught her and Haruto. _Sometimes I think you should have been a singer and not a doctor._ That had been her mother's words whenever they came back home to see her father singing a tune to her baby brother, who only seemed to calm down when Asa sang. Those had been the happy days.

Her father stopped singing when her mother died and Tomoyo just stopped seeing the world for its beauty. But looking at their trembling lips and teary eyes, she could not stop herself from humming the tune. The tears slowly faded and the children inched closer to her, looking at her with wide eyes.

The hums died down and Tomoyo looked at those kids. "You will see your parents again. I will make sure that you will see them again."

She just needed to think of a good plan.

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think of this chapter? I know that there is no Naruto but the next chapter will delve into the meeting between Naruto and the Uzumaki Clan. What do you think of the current arc? And of the flashback? And of the overall chapter of 21? I know that there are a lot of OC but what do you think of the ones that I have introduced.


	23. Chapter 22

_**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**_

* * *

_I'm out investigating some things, Naruto so I won't be back until the end of this month. That doesn't mean you can stop with your senjutsu training, you are only taking break because of the internship! But I expect you to have continued your training when I come back._

Naruto sighed and shook her head at the sight of the sticky note stuck onto the fridge. A part of her wanted to ask him if he was investigating the cause of these disappearance. Because if he was then she figured it out the assholes that was taking the kids. She shook her head and pocket the sticky note inside her pockets before looking around the empty apartment.

If Naruto was honest, she was glad Ero-Sennin was not in the apartment. Now he would never have to know about how much of an idiot his apprentice was. Wide mismatch eyes flashed before her alongside her lips pressing against those lips that somehow felt like both fire and ice. Groaning, the blond-haired girl whacked her head against the fridge.

It had been a whole twenty minutes and still the memory kept playing like a broken record. Naruto inhaled and exhaled, wishing and praying that the blush would just fade away. Even though it had been a long time since the kiss, her whole body still trembled from the kiss. She furiously shook her head and whacked her head against the fridge, hoping to regain some of her pride again.

"Idiot," she screamed as soon as her whole body stopped trembling like a piece of paper. Naruto grinded her teeth together and looked out at the window, relaxing her whole body when none of her neighbors looked up to see her. "Why the fuck did I do that?"

Her eyes burned as Naruto tugged her long hair. _I don't want to live with the constant fear that you are going to die from your reckleness._ Those words touched her to the core but it should have never caused her to do _that._ It didn't mean she should just forget all reason and kiss him. God even though Shouto was attractive, it does not mean she could throw herself at him and kiss him like that.

_Did you summon your nerve? I'm right here, ready and waiting!_

Three years passed and Naruto could still recall how Sakura was basically demanding for a kiss. A part of her took pride at the fact she wasn't like Sakura or even Ino but how was she any different now? _No, I'm worse._ Because Sakura and Ino never kissed Sasuke while she basically stole that kiss.

"Sakura rubbed off of me and maybe Ino too," Naruto declared loudly, putting her head on top of her knees. "Now I'm even worse than those two! I kissed my friend! How the hell am I any different from you when you used to pester the Bastard for dates? Or tried to get a kiss from him?"

She sniffed and clenched her hands into a fist. Naruto wanted Hinata with her right now, to ask her about what the hell did she do. She didn't mean to kiss him. But those words touched her. And then the way he looked at her made her feel so funny. _But I don't want dates._ Her stomach rolled and the blonde inhaled again, trying to calm down her racing heart.

Parted lips flashed before her eyes and Naruto covered her face with her hands. Why was she still thinking about it even now? She had been impulsive. Yeah, it was her impulsive behaviour that drove her to kiss him like that. It was an impulsive decision. This was a decision that she would never _ever_ repeat…

_I want more…_

"Fuck!" Naruto swore as her cheeks grew an even brighter shade of red at the memory of her own thoughts. If she hadn't opened her eyes or regained some sense of self then there was no telling what she would have done. A part of her had wanted to run her hand through his hair, to feel more of his warmth and Shouto did not even try to stop her. _Pretty Boy was just too shock to stop me._ She inhaled again, stretching her ribs till the crack of her bones could be heard.

_I won't do that again._ Naruto curled her hands into a fist and nodded at her final decision. Nope. It had been a one-time thing, made by a mixture of her impulsive behavior and the kind words of Shouto. What happened between them was just going to be a one time thing.

Because even if the kiss had been good. _Really good_, a voice in her mind whispered as Naruto pushed herself up from the floor and made her way towards her room. The blond-haired girl paused at that thought and groaned. Fine. Naruto would admit that it had been a kiss that made her whole body tremble with an emotion that she knew from only editing Ero-Sennin books, but it would not happen again.

It was after all a form of an assault to him and Naruto was going to apologize to him, because she never meant to kiss him.

What caused the kiss had been a moment of weakness for her. Nothing more and nothing less. This weird feeling inside of her would fade away and would be a distant memory in the past. _It has to fade away._ Naruto looked at the photo of Team Seven, blue eyes lingering on her two teammates. This type of feeling wasn't doing her any favours. It had never done anyone a favour because love was the cause for the destruction of her team.

This feeling inside of her was going to destroy her. It would make her dream of things that Naruto knew she didn't deserve to have. Because a jinchuuriki should and could never fall in love with anyone. A jinchuuriki could never fall in love because no one could love someone that contained a monster in their gut.

Right now, her friendship with Shouto was enough for her. It was the best that she could hope with him because to love him and to lose him because of the monster inside of her gut…would destroy her in more ways than one. _I will bottle these feelings and tell him that it was an impulsive behaviour. That I won't do it again._

This was just a one-time thing.

* * *

_Naruto's lips were very soft._

That was the only thought running through Shouto's mind as he slid open the door of his house. A quick glance to the mat told him that Natsuo was out, probably on a date with his new girlfriend since his shoes were not here. Ever since Natsuo began dating, his brother was rarely if at all in the house and Shouto could not blame him. But he wanted to talk to the only remaining brother that he had, the brother who seemed to have experience with women.

Shouto shook his head and inhaled before flickering his eyes at his phone. Should he send a message to Naruto? And ask her why did she kiss him? Dark blue eyes flashed before him alongside the scent of the banana smoothie that the blonde had been drinking. He gulped when soft, parted lips appeared before his eyes. _Her lips are definitely softer than it looks._ He blinked before shaking his head.

"Shouto, you are…are you okay?" Fuyumi demanded, wiping her hands over her apron before rushing straight towards him. He guessed his cheeks were still red, which was probably why his sister was so concern for him. He stood still as his older sister tiptoed, her hand hesitantly hovering over his forehead as her eyes warned him that she was going to touch him. Shouto inhaled and furrowed his eyebrows, keeping the frost at bay as his sister placed her hand over his forehead.

_Why did she kiss me? And why did I like it?_ The words were on the tip of his tongue, ready for him to spill to his older sister. If anyone could understand girls then it should be Fuyumi. Because Fuyumi was a girl and should be knowledgeable on how a girl's mind works. She would be able to explain the best of what just happened between him and Naruto.

But his stomach turned at the thought of asking Fuyumi about why Naruto kissed him.

"Huh? You are fine," his sister muttered, knitting her eyebrows together and dropping her hand to her side. "Why are you so red then?"

_Because Naruto kissed me out of nowhere and I think I like it a lot._ The words were on the tip of his tongue, ready for him to spill but Shouto stopped himself from telling the older girl. Because Fuyumi might jump to conclusions for why it happened and she would ask for more details. He could not tell his sister about what was causing the kidnapping or have her jump to conclusion about the friendship between Naruto and him.

Fuyumi pressed her lips into a thin line as her grey eyes took in his expression. Grey eyes locked onto his hair, which might be a small mess since Naruto went her hand through his hair before leaving him alone to process what just happened between them. Fuyumi blinked, grey eyes widening to the point that it looked almost as big as a golf ball.

Did his older sister figure out that he just got his first kiss? And that he didn't freeze Naruto for touching him like that? If Fuyumi figured it out then she was not saying anything. If anything Fuyumi sighed as a small smile played on her lips while her grey eyes twinkled with a knowing look.

"I made dinner," Fuyumi said quietly, shaking her head at the antics of her youngest brother.

Shouto cleared his throat and nodded before looking away from his sister. Dark blue eyes flashed before him again alongside flushed cheeks that resembled tomatos. _Does she turn red throughout her whole body? Or does it extend to her neck? Is there a way for me…_Shouto shook his head.

Naruto was his friend, a close friend that he respected and cared about. But she kissed him and Shouto was still trying to figure out why his friend would kiss him or why he even like it. Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line and ran his hand through his hair. Because he shouldn't like the kiss between them. Because he really does doubt Naruto had just kissed him because she found him attractive. Even if she thought he was a pretty boy, his scar should frightened her to a certain degree.

_But again it was hard for Naruto to be scared of anything or that she had always been different._

Shouto inhaled and looked to his sister's fading back before glancing to the right side of his body. With Naruto, things were different between them. It was something he would acknowledged. Because whenever Fuyumi tried to hug him, Shouto would freeze her as the memory of his mother washed over him. But when Naruto hugged him or even touched him, he felt comfortable and had no sudden desire to freeze her.

_Was there something significant about this? _Shouto exhaled and a part of him wondered who he could go and ask about the significance of why Naruto had been the exception. Naruto was out of the question because he doesn't want to hurt her, while Midoriya seemed to get flustered whenever he talked to a girl.

But the ice part could be connected to why he liked it when Naruto kissed him.

_I should just ask Naruto why she kissed me._ From knowing why Naruto kissed him, then maybe he could figure out why his friend was no longer getting hurt whenever she touched him. Because Shouto had noticed the small changes in his physiology while around Naruto, changes he could not understand.

_Because after the Sports Festival, the ice had slowly stopped forming around Naruto whenever she hugged him or even touched him and Shouto doesn't understand why._

* * *

The Uzumaki Dojo was a large dojo, large enough that it seemed like it could fill more than two hundred people if the number of people entering the building was of any indication. Naruto could only blink and tremble as red-heads, blond-heads, orange-heads along with various hair colours entering the building. Were all these people potential family members? The thought made her gulp.

"Naruto, are you ready to enter?"

Blue eyes blinked and Naruto twisted her head to look at Gaara and his siblings. Teal eyes looked at her with some form of concern as he eyed the various members continued to flood in, before looking at his siblings. Kankuro had his eyes fixated on a brown-haired girl, staring at her body, and only snapped out of it when Temari whacked him in the head.

"What was that for?"

"Focus! We are not here for you to try and score a date!" Temari hissed, shaking her head at her younger brother. Naruto laughed and blue eyes focused on the children walking in with their parents. For a brief moment, cruel green eyes flashed before her but the blonde shoved it to the side. Not the time to think of what happened. Naruto forced herself to smile.

_The first thing you need to learn, Naruto-chan, is that you should never smile in meetings._ Smiling is a sign of disrespect. Hinata's words echoed in her ear, reminding her of those long hours that Hinata tried to teach her etiquette. Naruto inhaled and dropped her smile. She straightened her back, pushed her shoulders back and took out the Konoha Hitae-ai from her pocket.

She wrapped it around her forehead and tightened it, blue eyes fixated on the people. Kankuro and Temari glanced at each other, their eyes growing wide at the sight of a serious Naruto, while Gaara curled his lips into an almost smile. Their eyes seemed to question her, demanding why was she acting so different from her usual personal.

Naruto would not disrespect their clan, not unless she wanted to ruin any trust that she planned to gain. The desire to make them listen to reason was far greater than any desire to wear a mask to protect herself. Nodding her head, Naruto began to walk straight into the dojo, careful not to put her hands into her pockets.

So many eyes locked onto her, looking at her with either indifference, curiosity and most of all anger. Most of the anger came from the children around her age with the occasional adult thrown in. Guess there was some good in growing up in Konoha because it did not bother her one bit. She stared back at them with only one woman faltering at the sight of her.

Naruto stopped in her tracks at the sight of Eisuke with her mentor Hawks taking a seat on the front of the row. Blue eyes widened when Hawks offered her a wave before flickering his eyes to Gaara and then shifting to his siblings. The blonde frowned, knitted her eyebrows and bit her tongue from demanding if he was an Uzumaki this whole time. Eisuke scrambled to his feet, giving them a small bow before grabbing her hand and taking her to the side.

"Is Hawks a member of this clan?" Naruto asked, trying and failing to keep her irritation at bay,

"Remember that little conversation we had?" Eisuke asked, darting his eyes to his father. He flinched when the man narrowed his eyes at him, hazel eyes revealing no emotion. The man looked back at Naruto, who nodded. "Well he overheard us and decided to join in."

Naruto grimaced and looked at Hawks, who flashed her a smile and gave her a small wave. She flickered her eyes to Eisuke. His green eyes looked passed her and straight to the man in the front of the room. Naruto schooled her expression and followed those green eyes, stopping when Eisuke's father looked at her. Those hazel eyes showed no emotion, only fixated on her and this forced the blond to straightened her back. She tilted her head up high, bottling down any emotion inside of her.

She walked back to Gaara and his siblings, only to stop when blue eyes glared at her. The boy had red hair, similar to that Akane and Eisuke's father, and looked around nineteen if she could guess correctly. Sitting right beside the boy was the man from earlier, who looked at her. Violet eyes flashed with so much grief and anger, almost making Naruto tremble.

_Monsters like you don't deserve to get comfort or cry._

She was no longer that three-year-old girl. Naruto took a deep breath and kept her head high as lilac eyes flashed before her. This was the first time in her life she had been in a clan meeting and it was just her luck that the clan despised her. If she could not smile then she would do what Hinata would do. Because even in the face of her clan's hate, Hinata kept her dignity. When Naruto see Hinata again, she would sing praises about her strength again.

"You are actually good at this," Temari commented quietly.

Naruto eyed her fellow blonde. "You think I was joking around when I claimed I want to be Hokage? I had it drilled into my head by Hinata on how to carry myself in these situations. The Hyuga clan is strict on these things and Hinata-chan was no different."

Temari snorted and Naruto looked straight ahead, faltering in her steps at the sight of the elder woman that asked her to help her get to her shop over a month ago. _But from one woman to the next, make sure that you wear the smile and not the other way around_. Had this woman known of the possibility of their relationship? Akira gazed down at her with indifferent eyes but Naruto recalled the woman had been kind to her.

She gave her a smile on that day and Naruto guessed Shouto was right.

Kenji gazed at the door and nodded when the last person shut the door. Straightening his back, the man strolled straight to the gong and smacked the gong loudly. The chime rang throughout the dojo, causing everyone to straightened their back and gazed at the man with various form of respect.

"This meeting was called because of the events that have transpired since I made the decree that every Uzumaki should learn the shinobi art," Naruto blinked at this knowledge and the hazel-eyed man looked at the various member of the clan. "Since then, one member of our clan has been taken. Uzumaki Tomoyo has been taken however we have answers of who has taken her. To explain her side of the story of what happened, Uzumaki Naruto alongside her companions will tell us the tale."

"Shitty man, do you even—"

"Uzumaki Haruto," Akira demanded with eyes that looked at the furious red-head with lips pressed into a thin line. "Your anger is justified but finish that sentence and I will discipline you in the same way I disciplined your father. Let her and her companion tell us who took your sister."

Haruto grinded his teeth. "You are calling her an Uzumaki! Well she is n—"

"And I have proof that the girl is an Uzumaki," Akira declared, stopping the boy in his tracks. "If I were to prove to you that Uzumaki Naruto is an Uzumaki then will you shut your mouth and let us find out the irresponsible, impulsive Kage that started this whole mess!"

The boy clenched his jaws and nodded his head, straightening his back at the oldest member of this clan. Naruto blinked and straightened her back as Akira gestured for her to come up. With her eyebrows knitted together, the blonde strolled to the front of the room. Several eyes gazed at her. Judging her and telling her that they would never accept her or maybe it was all in her mind.

Maybe she was being judgmental as Shouto claimed she could be.

"Today would mark the day that the youngest granddaughter of my brother left Uzushiokagure to go to Konoha," Akira declared. Several of the adults grimaced and hunched their shoulders as a cloud of despair loomed over them. The teens and even the young adults frowned, looking just as confused as her. "What not many people knew was that my brother gave Kushina the task of becoming the second jinchuuriki for Konoha."

Dread built around her stomach and a frown played on her lips. Because no one ever mentioned that there had been a second jinchuuriki to her. What happened to the second jinchuuriki? Her hand hovered around her stomach as Akira gazed down at her with knowing eyes.

"For this girl to be called an Uzumaki would mean that Kushina had given birth to her since Kushina had been the only Uzumaki sent to Konoha at that time," Naruto looked at her as whispers began to broke out. The head of the clan looked at her and his eyes fixated on her face. "Now Uzumaki Kushina is not here with us so I cannot confirm whether Naruto is her child by asking her."

"Get to the point Akira-sama!" One of the teens demanded.

"But I can confirm by her whisker marks," Naruto blinked and the woman looked at her. "Kushina was made a jinchuuriki because my sister was dying from the constant use of the Kyuubi. Mito had not been too old when she became the jinchuuriki, still young enough to give birth to more children. Now when Mito gave birth to her last two children, a stillborn boy and a bouncy baby boy, there was something that stood out about them."

Everyone frowned, struggling to understand where this woman was going with this.

"The children born before Mito had become a jinchuuriki, had no whisker marks on their faces." Blue eyes widened as Akira gazed down upon her. "But the children born after Mito-neechan became a jinchuuriki, did. For that reason alone, I can confirm that this is Kushina's child."

_My mother's name was Kushina._

She now had a name to put onto the face of the parent that have always eluded her. She wanted to cry so badly at the knowledge that now she had a name to her parent, but crying was a weakness that should not be shown here. She steadied her shaking body and Naruto straightened her back as several eyes gazed at her. Some of the adults nodded, looking like they were willing to accept that reason. While the younger generation looked at Akira like she lost her mind.

"But Naruto made here spilled something to Uzushiokage that troubled me," Akira commented as she circled around Naruto. "She mentioned that she was an orphan, which tells me that Uzumaki Kushina is dead. Now for all those of you that doubt my claim, there is another thing that should be known of why Kushina was chosen and how we can prove the claim that this girl is an Uzumaki. The reason for why Mito-neechan was made the first jinchuuriki."

Where was she going with this?

"Only an Uzumaki can carry the Kyuubi," Akira declared to everyone and Naruto looked down at her stomach, where the seal was placed. "Uzumaki Naruto, tell me the truth…are you the third Jinchuuriki for Konoha? These fools will only listen if you tell the truth because not everyone will believe my claim unless you speak the truth."

Naruto eyed the woman and whispered through gritted teeth. "And if I tell the truth, will this clan accept me?"

"I cannot make any promises for everyone," Akira said, looking at her. The woman knelt down and looked at her. "But if you fear discrimination over the Kyuubi then that should be your last concern. Every single member of this clan knows the difference between a seal and a scroll. It is your actions today that will determine whether they will accept you or not, not that beast."

If Naruto thought kissing Shouto had been a bad idea, coming to this meeting was a terrible idea. Because to be accepted by this clan meant acknowledging the monster inside of her alongside her mistakes… and this was the last thing that she wanted.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

So many eyes seemed fixated on her with most of them looking at her with weary eyes. To be a part of this clan meant admitting she was a jinchuuriki to these people and owning up to her mistakes. Naruto could do the latter without much problem but the former was difficult. It was already clear from their cold eyes that they weren't going to accept her easily. A pair of red eyes flashed before her.

_Naruto-neechan!_

Naruto inhaled and looked at the red-haired boy called Haruto, who glared at her and seemed to be clenching his jaws very tightly. _Let her and her companion tell us who took your sister._ She looked down at her legs, closed her eyes as black eyes flashed before her. _Guess Sakura is right. I'm always thinking about myself._ If Sasuke had been kidnapped or even Eri then she would just be upset.

They did deserve to know the truth about the things she did and if to make them listen to reason was to admit about having the Kyuubi, then so be it.

"I am the nine-tailed Jinchuuriki," Naruto kept her voice loud and clear as her blue eyes swept along the various members of the clan. Her blue eyes fixated on Akane and the girl stared back at her with indifferent eyes. Naruto inhaled. "And I have been the Jinchuuriki since birth."

Several members of the clan hung their head with a woman and a man gulping down a lump, their whole body trembling. _My mother must have been loved by them._ She looked at Akira and the woman closed her eyes, inhaling deeply with only one single tear falling down to the ground. Was it strange that her heart ached for them? Or how her heart ached to know what kind of woman her mother had been?

Knowing her mother carried this burden, made her feel like she had a connection with her.

"What is a Jinchuuriki?" Hawks asked, drawing everyone's attention to him. He locked his eyes on her and then shifted to the three siblings. "I am kinda new to this whole shinobi thing."

Gaara cleared his throat and looked at her, silently asking her if they could trust him. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip as the words spoken from Shouto echoed in her ear. Trust was difficult but she supposed that in a time like this, she would need to trust people. Knowing this, Naruto nodded her head.

"A Jinchuurki is a person that has a tailed beast sealed inside of them," Gaara cleared his throat. "In the Elemental Countries, there are around nine in total and they are usually seen as weapons of war. Naruto contains the nine-tail…while I have the one-tail sealed inside of me."

Naruto swirled her head at her friend and he looked back at her with teal eyes telling her that he would follow her lead. She almost smiled at the gesture but lilac eyes flashed before her, alongside the usual scolding whenever she made a mistake. _Naruto-chan, being a Hokage is being like a leader of the clan! No one will respect you if you smile at serious issues!_ She schooled her expression and looked at Akira.

The elder woman sighed and walked up towards the two of them. "Once we get Tomoyo back, we will have Kenji look over your seals to determine if there had been any errors. Suna usually have terrible seal masters so I want to double check that the seal hasn't played with your mind. As for Naruto, we need to check over the seal used. Usually it is an Uzumaki that conducts the sealing, however things changed."

Naruto nodded.

"Is there any objections if I declare Naruto as a member of this clan?" Kenji asked, eyeing the adults in the room. Every single one of them shook their heads and the man looked at the children, who stared at them with resentment. He exhaled. "Now before Naruto tells her side of the story, I owe the children of this clan an apology."

Everyone stared at him, blinking their eyes and Naruto looked at the red-haired man. His whole body seemed to be trembling and his jaws seemed to be clenched as if what was about to be said, was something that he does not want to say. Kenji inhaled and exhaled, locking eyes on the children of this clan. "I owe every child here an apology for not allowing them to take the schools that they wanted to go to. For those of you that wants to go to Yuuei…the ban has been lifted."

"What? Really?" Naruto blinked when Akane jumped up from her seat with green eyes that sparkled with happiness. Various children began to voice out, crying out happiness and Naruto could only knit her eyebrows, not understanding one bit why some of them weren't allowed to go.

Kenji grunted. "It came to my attention that I may have been unfair."

"Unfair is saying it lightly," Eisuke grumbled. "You threatened to disown me when I wanted to apply over there."

Kenji winced at the reminder and Naruto gazed at the various members of the clans. Some of the children seemed happy, overjoyed at this news while a few of the older teens scowled. _I guess for them it is too late._ She chewed on her bottom lip and straightened her back when Kenji turned to look at her. Hazel eyes shone with no emotion but Naruto doesn't see anything cold about his eyes.

In a funny way, his eyes were warm but the warmth was not enough for her to forget what he threatened her with.

"Now that I have said my piece," Kenji cleared his throat. "Naruto will tell and explain to us about what led to her making that speech as well as her appearance in Yuuei."

Naruto pressed her hands against her chest as the phantom of the chidori's attack pierced through her chest. Crazed black eyes flashed before her, reminding her of what brought her to this side of the world. A part of her did not want to tell them, not when they could not fully understand the pain inside of her, but it would be selfish. Selfishness was the reason she stood before them.

_For all your brains Naruto, you still have a lot of growing up to do._

That had been Jiraiya's words when she gloated over the fact that she finally managed to beat him against Go. She took a deep breath, body trembling as her mind pondered over what to tell them. A quick glance at Gaara made her see her friend nodding his head in encouragement. _Think of the children. Think of that missing woman._ She needed to earn their trust and maybe their acceptance.

She still doesn't know if she wanted to be accepted by them.

"I didn't know about the Sports Festival until a few days before Ero-Sennin told me about it," Naruto kept her voice even and steady, schooled her face into being an ice-princess that Hinata would be proud of. "Growing up, the Hokage never gave me enough money to buy cable television and being a Jinchuuriki…well I wasn't allowed into a lot of restaurants. So when Jiraiya told me of the possibility of the shinobi coming here…I disregarded it."

The members of the clan stared at her like she was an idiot and Naruto would admit that she can be an idiot. Was it because of the role she forced herself to play? She doesn't know. If she was being honest, Naruto doesn't know which parts of her was the real her and which parts of her was fake.

"Why the hell did you make that speech? Why did you have to fucking apologize like that?" The boy Haruto demanded. "My big sister got kidnapped because of your actions."

Naruto straightened her back and gulped down a lump as her whole body trembled at the accusation. She inhaled and exhaled as she tried to regain some form of composure. _Do not show them any weakness._ She must do what Hinata would have done in her shoes.

"Do you have a friend that has always stuck by you even at your worst?" She asked him. Haruto blinked and eyed her while Eisuke looked at her with thin lips. No emotions shone through his eyes. "For me that person was Hinata. You probably had the clan to look out for you, to love and care for you. I only had Hinata-chan and to me…she is my family. My sister in everything but blood."

Her throat burned as memories of helping Hinata with her hobby flashed before her eyes. Of trying to cheer up Hinata whenever Neji and her father took things to far. Of the secret languages and handshakes as well as the numerous treats that her friend would share to her.

She cleared her throat and looked at the people before her. Hawks stared at her with curiosity, brown eyes fixated on her and Naruto exhaled. Mismatch eyes flashed before her along with his words of her having him. It was not long before Midoriya flashed before her alongside the numerous friends that she made.

"I was in a very bad place when I left Konoha," Naruto admitted. "And Hinata-chan kept crying and crying, begging for me to snap out of it. The last person I ever wanted to hurt was her and when I finally snapped out of it…the Sports Festival came. Jiraiya warned me not to do it in the stands but I like to do flashy gestures. That is who I am and it was the only way I could think of…to reassure her."

_I don't even need you to talk, Naruto-chan._

"I should have sent a toad and if I had known…"

_I want you to feel better._

No, she could not even say those words because it would be a lie. If she had never entered Yuuei then yes none of this would have happened, but it meant never meeting Shouto. It meant never meeting Aizawa-sensei. She probably would have continued being in a worse state and Naruto hated that state.

"If I had known what my actions could cause then I would have prepare myself better," she corrected herself. "What I did was wrong and for that I apologize for what I did to you and your clan…to the children of this country. I won't ask for forgiveness for my actions."

They gazed at her with eyes that showed no emotions but she see that a few of them had some grudging respect for her. Naruto fixated her eyes on the girl that made her doubt her potential of being accepted by them. Akane gazed at her with green eyes that showed no emotion except some form of respect.

"I didn't think of the consequence of my actions." Naruto straightened her back and looked at Gaara and his siblings. Even if this clan refused to fully accept her, she still had friends. She had Gaara, Kendou, Tokage, Midoriya, Bakugou and maybe even Shouto. "I was selfish that day and I apologize for my selfish actions."

Only silence hung in the dojo as they processed what she said. Her blue eyes fixated on Haruto and the boy grinded his teeth, flickering his eyes to the man beside them. He looked at Akira, inhaled and exhaled before fixating his eyes on her. "I don't know about my father but what you did to us…hurt us. It is taking all of my will power not to smash my fist at you for what you did."

Naruto dug her finger against the palm of her hand, trying to stop herself from flinching.

"But I love my sister more than anything in the world," Haruto declared, his voice echoing throughout the dojo. "And if you can bring her back then I am willing to move on from your actions. To be honest, I was supporting you throughout the whole Sports Festival especially when you did that Sexy Jutsu."

Kankuro sighed. "That was the best part."

"Men." Temari grumbled.

The red-haired teen cleared his throat. "But now tell me who is the motherfuc—"

"Meeting!" Akira barked. "Control that tongue or I will do it for you."

_Where did I hear that line before?_ She swore she heard someone say those words before but the blonde could not remember who said those words.

"Fine," Haruto inhaled. "Which village is responsible for this?"

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and looked at the various eager faces. She should tell them but his threat still echoed in her ear. She looked at Kenji, who stared back at her with no emotions in his eyes. She flickered her eyes to Gaara and the boy nodded his head.

"We will only tell you if your leader vows under the honor of this clan not to spill the information to the government," Gaara declared. Protest rang out and the teen eyed at the adults that was causing the commotion. "In your emotional state, you wish to put both parts of the world at risk?"

"Millions of people will die," Naruto added, looking at Kenji. "You tell the government and we will have Fourth Shinobi War over something that can be prevented. Children, innocent children, will be forced to become weapons of war. Do you really wish for this? It will be a bloodbath that has no winners."

The Uzushiokage stared down at her. "Aren't you a little bit young to be ordering me around?"

"And aren't you a little bit old to make such impulsive decisions!" She snapped.

Temari and Kankuro groaned while the various members of the clan snorted, looking visibly amused at her words. Akira sighed and shook her head, lips curled almost into a smile while the children of the clan looked at Naruto like she was the biggest idiot in the world. Some of them looked at her with pity.

"Once we bring back Tomoyo, I'm going to drill in some manners into you." Kenji declared, earning blinking eyes at Naruto. The blonde narrowed her eyes as hazel eyes locked onto her. "Since Kushina was not around to teach you some maners and respect or what it means to be an Uzumaki, then it means I will do it for her."

Naruto's eyebrows twitched. "And you think I am willing to come near you after you threatened me?"

"I messed up," Kenji grunted. "But you are no innocent little wallflower, brat. I tried to do it the nice way but you were acting like a little punk so I did it the hard way."

She growled. "Well considering the fact that you were trying to manipulate me, I think I deserve some right!"

"Fuck this," Asa snarled and he marched over to the two arguing people. Everyone winced when the man knocked their foreheads together and violet eyes looked at them with fury. Both Naruto and Kenji gulped. "You are going to tell me which village is responsible for this! And Kenji-niisan, not the time to be taunting her! Are you 47 or 5?"

"You are in no state to go and make demands," Akira barked. "You go and we will definitely have a war to deal with. Now let Naruto explain what she knows."

Naruto rubbed her forehead and bowed her head at Akira before fixating her eyes on the two adults. "Your daughter left a clue on the ground, saying the characters Earth and Shadow. When you combine them together then the culprit is the Tsuchikage."

Asa growled. "Great, not I'm going to go—"

"We don't know if they are there yet," Gaara said sharply, grabbing hold of the furious man before he could do something reckless. "Charge in there without a plan and you are asking for trouble."

Asa yanked his hand away. "And who do you think you are, brat! I fought wars—"

"That is the future Kazekage," Temari said sharply and the man blinked, looking at the red-haired boy. Gaara nodded his head and Asa grinded his teeth before pulling his arm away from him. "He is your ally if you control your mouth."

Asa narrowed his eyes. "Kazekage? An amazing feat for someone so young."

Hawks cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at the winged-hero. The man walked forward, jumped to the front of the room and gazed at the three of them. Brown eyes seemed fixated on Gaara, lingering on the tattoo on his forehead before darting to her. "Can we go to the topic at hand: the missing people! I have one question to ask: is there a possibility that the missing children are still here?"

Gaara nodded. "They would need to take a large boat with the amount of children and the adult that they have kidnapped and to do so without getting any attention is impossible."

Hawks nodded. "Then I'm off to follow the yellow brick road."

"I'm going with you," Eisuke declared.

Akira whistled and the two adults stopped in their tracks to look at her. The elder woman fixated her eyes on Naruto, lingering on her whisker marks before bobbing her head. "Take Naruto and the Kazekage with you. This will be the first time that either of you will battle shinobi and will need back up."

Eisuke nodded.

Akira swirled her head at Kenji. "And you are going to Iwa and make it clear to the Tsuchikage about the future consequence of his actions. Either the shinobi he sent were stupid or the council was not making a clear decision. If it is still the same man from when we were there, then he must have gotten stubborn in his old age. Now I trust you will keep your temper in check, right Kenji?"

"I will take your grandson with me if you are worried."

"Well then now that this is settled, get to work." Akira declared, clapping her hands together and eyeing the people that she called out. Violet eyes narrowed like a hawk eyeing its pray, which caused the various members of the clan gulped. "Am I speaking in a foreign language! Get to work! We only have a limited amount of time before Tomoyo and those kids are gone from this country!"

_Who the hell runs this clan? Is it the Uzushiokage or the elder?_

This was the only question that ran through Naruto's mind as she charged out of the door with a panic Eisuke and Hawks.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter? And of the story in general?**


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows.**

* * *

Kenji was only sixteen when his grandfather began to groom him to take over the clan. At sixteen, Kenji was allowed to show his emotions in meetings and had the habit of talking back to his grandfather. Even when he looked back, he wondered why the honour of being Uzushiokage was given to him. Was it because his grandfather had chosen to send Kushina off? And the only other option was him.

While Asa and Ren were allowed to sleep in during the day or to help his father with his chores, Kenji would have to drag his feet to his grandfather's house. Over there, he would listen to the various teachings that the old coot would give him. Sometimes he would drift off, thinking of the days when he had been free as his siblings, while other times he would listen to him.

Out of the various teachings that Kenji was forced to learn, there was one that he had beaten into his head by his grandfather. Even when Kenji looked back, he hated this teaching and maybe that was why when his own son came to him about using the title that he chose him. Why Kenji doesn't try and teach his own son this rule, even when Akira and Asa tells him that Eisuke needs it.

_"When you become the leader of this clan, you will need to keep that emotion of yours in check."_ His grandfather told him when they looked over the paperwork for the week. Kenji grunted as he flipped through the various complaints that the old man had to deal with.

"_Then pick Asa or Ren-niisan for the job,"_ Kenji grumbled under his breath and his grandfather sighed, chopping him in the back of the head. "_What? Everyone keeps telling me that I'm as emotional as my mother had been."_

His grandfather does not react when he reminds him of his birth mother and Kenji wondered how his father could be so emotionless. Because even when Kenji looks back, he still struggled to stop himself from shredding a tear at the memory of his deceased mother or remembering the various relatives that had passed away. _When it came to Ren-niisan, it was the worst._

"_And that will make you weak,"_ his grandfather declared, putting down his stamp. "_The clan won't respect someone that cries for every damn thing or gets angry for every tiny thing. You must keep your head high and wear a mask."_

His grandfather would hit him whenever Kenji showed some resemblance of emotions in meetings. It came to the point that it became a second nature for Kenji to not show any emotions in those meetings, but there were times when he lost control of this mask. Times when he slipped up and when it happens, he acts like the biggest idiot as his wife would tell him after he apologize to her. He lost control with his children and Naruto. If his grandfather was still alive and asked him why he messed up. Then Kenji would only answer that he was only human and could never fully control himself.

Because a shinobi was still human and like any human, Kenji makes mistakes and he tries to learn from it…even if he doesn't know how. But there was one thing that he learnt from watching his grandfather apologize to Kushina. It was that if someone wanted to beg for forgiveness then it should be done in closed doors, where no one could see his weakness.

_Kenji had only done it twice:_

_When Kumiko threatened to divorce him and take the children after he threw Eisuke out of the house for even thinking of going to Yuuei, and when he came back from dealing with the Tsuchikage._

* * *

The Uzumaki Shrine was a shrine located at the outskirts of the city but if you asked Kenji, it could not be further away as he wanted. The last time he had been inside the shrine was when Kiko had been born. When his youngest daughter had been born, all Kenji wanted was to show his daughter off to the various deceased members of their clan. But that was all.

He stopped praying in the shrine when Uzushiokagure had been destroyed and never had any reason to go and visit the shrine.

Kenji ran his hand through his hair and stepped inside the shrine with Riku stepping behind him. His distant cousin looked around the shrine, lips curled into almost a nostalgic bitter smile and Kenji recalled that Riku's first wife had died outside the shrine, protecting her children from the incoming attack from Kumo.

"It must have been hard for you not to apologize to Naruto, Kenji." Kenji stiffened and swirled his head at Riku, who picked up the photo of Kushina from the ground and holding it out to him. Uzushiokage patted his pockets and grimaced, realizing that the photo must have fallen off. "But then again your grandfather never showed his emotions in his meetings, especially whenever he felt regret for his actions."

Kenji grinded his teeth together and snatched the photo from Riku's fingers. Hazel eyes looked down at the photo of the eight-year-old Kushina and a part of him wondered what Naruto looked like at the age. _I should give that brat, this photo._ He had his memories to recall Kushina but Naruto did not even have that.

"I showed some emotion, didn't I?" Kenji grunted. "I got furious that she would di—"

Riku chuckled. "You think I don't know you? The children of this clan doesn't know how special Kushina was to you, but I was raised with Kushina after her parents died. I know how much you adored her. If she was just an annoying cousin to me, then she was your little sister that you always wanted to protect."

Kenji balled his hands into a fist as a hazy memory washed over him. The boring clan meetings that they were forced to endure. The monotone voice of their grandfather and the way Kushina would try to imitate him. His lips curled into a larger smile and a laugh escaped from his lips when he recalled how his cousin spray-painted the walls, telling the whole clan about how big-headed their grandfather was.

He quickly schooled his expression.

"What are you getting at?" Kenji demanded, swirling his head at the older male.

Riku looked at him with serious eyes. "If you were actually furious with how she treated you, you would have hit the floor with your fist and cause the dojo to be destroyed again," Kenji grimaced at the reminder. "But you controlled yourself this time, because I would have loved to see that control when my son talked back to you about how technology is better than our tools," Riku chuckled. "Kumiko had to stop you from bringing out the cane."

Kenji grunted at the reminder and looked at the photo of his grandfather. Would his grandfather even apologize to the children for putting through this hell? Did he even do the right thing by starting to apologize to them? He looked at the photo of his parents, lips curled into a thin line.

Riku looked at the photo of his first wife. "Telling her that you messed up isn't going to be enough for her, especially when you call her a punk. She isn't Kushina. Kushina would have been able to look through your words and know that you were being as gentle as you could be in front of the clan. But Naruto doesn't know you or even us…so you need to apologize to her like how a person outside of this clan would apologize."

Kenji eyed his distant cousin and scowled. "You act like you know her."

Was he being a little bit petty and jealous that his cousin seems to know Naruto? Probably but Kenji would admit that at times, he couldn't be the most mature person in the world. He left the maturity to Asa but since his brother lost it now, Kenji guessed Riku decided to take over the job of talking sense to him.

_That old bat planned this from the very beginning._

"I don't know her," Riku shrugged. "But I can read people unlike you."

Kenji sighed and eyed the various seals around the shrine's walls, trying to pick out the seal that would bring him out of this part of the country and into the destroyed home of their village. He darted his eyes at Riku, grunting when he sees that his distant cousin was still looking at him.

"Do you know what it means if Naruto is an orphan and a jinchuuriki?" Riku asked him, stopping the Uzushiokage from walking to the seal in the middle of the room. Kenji clicked his heel and looked at Riku, who stared back him. "Do you realize what she hinted to us? She wasn't allowed into a lot of restaurants? It means she had been discriminated over there. With no clan to back her up, she couldn't be protected."

Kenji pressed his lips into a thin line and clenched his hands into a hand. _We are in a shrine and breaking any of these photos is a terrible idea._ He inhaled and exhaled, not daring to look at his knowing cousin.

"…I doubt any one gave her any advice of how to keep the Kyuubi at bay," Riku continued, eyeing him. "I wouldn't know if I haven't overheard Mito-sama talk to Kushina the day before my grandmother conducted the sealing, but I heard them talk. Do you know what keeps that beast at bay?"

Kenji curled his lips and shook his head. "Do I look like I know, smartass?"

"Love," Riku snorted. "The only thing to keep that beast in check was love but I doubt Kushina's daughter knows this. I don't even know if Naruto knows what love is if she didn't have any parents to shower her with it."

_Be nice, Kenji-niisan! I love him and you have to deal with it._ Kenji inhaled and exhaled as violet eyes flashed before him. If he just stood there in the shrine then he could see Kushina and Minato standing before him, with Kushina squeezing Minato's hand as she dragged him away from him. Even now, Kenji wondered what made Kushina fall in love with that pansy.

She could have chosen someone better but she chose a boy without a clan to back him up.

"Kushina and her partner weren't around to protect her," Riku said quietly. "I have been reading my daughter's psychology books and there are signs that I think you and my grandmother haven't picked on. I think if you noticed it then you probably would treat her differently, but do you realise that she acts like an abused child when she waited for everyone to enter the dojo? Do you know what a child of abuse looks like, Kenji?"

Turquoise eyes flashed before him and Kenji could hear the distant begging of Eisuke to help his best friend. He closed his eyes and searched for the signs that he have been missing when it came to Naruto. Maybe Naruto was a bit aggressive and Kenji did not miss the way the girl seemed to flinch. _But she knows how to carry herself._ Kenji would give that girl that much because the clan was weary of her.

A lot of people would just flinch at the actions of the clan.

"Are you certain?" He asked quietly.

"With us not being around, the Hokage could only do so much to protect her and her mental state," Riku commented. "Not everyone understands what a seal can do and the fact that the Hokage outed her status to them means that he disregarded the conditions that your grandfather put for Kushina to become the jinchuuriki. Your grandfather put the condition on all of Kushina's descendants and they disregard it."

Kenji clenched his jaws. "I thought your job was to keep me in check, not to make me more angry!"

"My job is also to make sure that you get rid of that pride and just apologize to Naruto like how you wanted to apologize to Kushina," Riku said calmly. "You apologize to our kids and that is great, but we both know who suffered the most and it isn't just our kids. So what if our kids couldn't go to Yuuei? There are a lot of Hero Schools. But what happened to Naruto was the result of you playing the fool and letting Kushina go like that."

Kenji growled and swirled his head. "You think I don't know, asshole! But apologizing to our kids without losing control of my emotions is easy and manageable! Apologizing to Naruto for what we put her mother through and for abandoning her like that…shit like that needs to be done in the privacy of my own home!"

Riku stared at him for a long time before letting out a loud laugh. "You are afraid that you are going to cry like a baby, aren't you? Like when the doctor came and put Eisuke in your arms for the first time."

This was why Kenji hated Riku because the bastard knew him better than his own brother.

* * *

The various sceneries seemed to blur together into one blurry image as Naruto hopped from one building to the next, blue eyes focused on Hawks. All four of them came into agreement that Hawks had the better natural vision and would be the one that would find the papers that Tomoyo had dropped.

Hopping right beside her was Gaara, who kept flickering his eyes from her to Eisuke. Her relative seemed to be hopping a couple of paces faster than them, understandable when Naruto considered the fact Eisuke actually knew Tomoyo. She looked back at her friend and raised her eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I was concerned that you would have lashed out at them," Gaara informed her quietly. "What they did to you is considered abandonment, isn't it? They left your mother alone."

Naruto felt her heart ached and the girl looked to see if Eisuke was looking back at them. The red-haired man had his eyes fixated on Hawks, eyebrows furrowed as they increased their pace to match his. She tilted her head down, looking at the numerous people below them, and then looked at him.

"If I threw a fit, would they even listen or care?" Naruto asked softly as her hand hovered over her stomach. The various memories of her childhood flashed before her eyes and she gulped down a lump. Her whole body trembled as the cruel eyes of the matron flashed before her. "These people are strangers to me and they haven't accepted me as a member of their clan. They accepted my last name…but that isn't enough for them to care."

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line and the blonde looked at Hawks, who kept flickering his eyes down at them. What does she want from this clan? Does she want to be accepted by them? Does she even want to be apart of the clan that was in a way, responsible for the life that she lived. They abandoned her mother and in a way also her.

Did her mother have to suffer like she did? Did they know of the hell that a jinchuuriki faced? She hated them for what they did to her mother. Had her mother been a child when she was sent? Or had she been an adult? If she had been a child then Naruto hated them more.

Gaara looked at her and his teal eyes softened slightly as if he understood what was going through her head right now. Does he fully understand? She doesn't know. Her pocket vibrated, signaling that there was a message but Naruto felt no desire to pick up her phone to see who would be texting her. She blinked when Hawks stopped at the final building that overlooks the high way.

"I need a break," Hawks declared and Eisuke grunted, looking put out by this. Hawks raised his hands. "Flying takes some energy off of me, so I need to have a ten minute break before flying off again. I don't have the same insane stamina as you people do."

Eisuke grunted and accepted the reason, taking a seat in the corner. Naruto and Gaara stood at the outskirts and without a second thought, the blond-haired girl took a seat on the edge of the building while Gaara walked around. Her legs dangled freely and Naruto gazed down at the happy pedestrians with a tiny smile.

Her eyes lingered the most on the children.

"So how long have you been a shinobi?" Hawks asked, kneeling right beside her. Naruto squeaked and swirled her head at her mentor, who stared down at the smiling parents with a bitter smile. He offered her a bright smile but his brown eyes seemed to be calculating and curious to know her answer.

"If I had passed the genin exam on my first try then I would have been ten, so twelve." Naruto admitted. Hawks hummed and nodded his head, brown eyes twinkling with understanding and she wondered if he knew what it meant. "So I guess you can call me a child soldier."

Hawks hummed and looked down at the various pedestrians. His eyes seemed fixated on the smiling couple with kids and his lips curled almost into a bitter smile._ So he is like me, I guess. He probably didn't have a good family life too._ Her heart ached at the knowledge and she looked up at the night sky, wondering if there was a world where children did not get to suffer.

"You took one violent job and exchanged it for the other," Hawks commented. "Why did you choose to be a hero? Why not something else? Getting to Yuuei means that you could have chosen any other job."

Naruto eyed him and looked at the smiling children. "I don't like killing people and I don't like what being a shinobi means. Growing up, I keep hearing the term that a shinobi is a person that must endure pain and hardship. Easy to say when you are an adult, but for a child? There is only so much that you can take. A child shouldn't be told to endure! A child should be reassured and protected, but they don't care about that! They expect you to make decisions that will just kill you."

Brown eyes twinkled as Hawks let out a little laugh. Naruto puffed her cheeks and folded her arms against her chest, not understanding why the man found her words to be humorous. He shook his head and let out a little hum as his eyes fixated on a smiling little girl.

"Then let me ask you now this…what is driving you to save these kids?" Hawks asked. "Is it guilt for what you did? Or is there something else driving you? Why do you want to be a hero so badly?"

Naruto blinked and tilted her head at Hawks. Where was he going with this? Guilt played a factor for what she did to those innocent kids and maybe there was another reason too. A reason that she could not think of. Hawks let out a small chuckle and hopped up from his kneeling position. He nested his head over the palm of his hand, stroking the small whisks of hair and looked down at her.

"You and that Kazekage could have played the ignorant fool for what was happening," Hawks reminded her. "You could have simply walk away and allow this act to continue on, but you did not. If anything you have been very driven to find clues and to prevent a war from happening by going as far as lying to us."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Hawks laughed and looked at her. "You came to me because you wanted to find your motivation of being a hero, don't you? The way I did it was trying to imagine of what type of future that I want. So here is something that I want you to ask yourself, when you look at the future…what type of future do you envision?"

_Naruto-neechan!_

She wanted to see Eri smile like that forever.

_She poured boiling water on my left side._

She never want a child to go through what Shouto went through.

_I-It was just training, Naruto-chan._

No child should be bruised for some training.

But what really hit her the most was when the memory of the matron washed over her. Those black eyes looking at her with so much hate as she smacked her for crying. Her throat burned for a moment and her whole body trembled. Now when she looked back, she now see her childhood self looking back at her with accusing eyes. _Why didn't anyone save me?_ That was what her eyes were asking her.

She inhaled as her blue eyes widened at the knowledge of what she wanted for the future.

What Naruto wanted was a world where children didn't have to suffer. It would be a world where they could be happy and not deal with so much abuse like she did. _The answer was right there, wasn't it?_ Because Naruto constantly kept saying that she never wanted a child to go through the same hell, she went through.

"You figured it out before I did, didn't you?" Naruto asked, looking at the man that she decided to intern with. She didn't need to voice it out, not when Hawks just smiled at her as if he was pleased with himself for helping her figure out about what drove her in this world.

Hawks grinned. "I figured it out when you talked about why you didn't like the idea of being a shinobi. Sometimes the answer was right there underneath your nose. You just need to look inside to find the answer."

Well she guessed Aizawa-sensei was going to be proud when she tells him that she found her motivation to be a hero.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the arc so far? And of the pacing for the story?**


	26. Chapter 25

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows.

* * *

The morning sunlight seemed to dance off the windows of the warehouses surrounding them, almost as if to remind Naruto that it was now officially the third day of her internship. Three days since she officially came to intern under Hawks and approximately five days since Gaara informed her of what her actions caused. If you asked her, it felt like longer since this happened.

She flickered her eyes upwards at Hawks, who seemed to have decided to now set his feet on the ground and stand beside the three of eyed him and then flickered his eyes to the various warehouses before them. Most of them looked alike and it was practically impossible for her to tell which warehouse had the kids.

"The last piece of paper is standing right there," Hawks declared, jerking his finger to the warehouse right at the corner. The four of them now stood at the edge of the dock, where there were barely any people coming in and out of here. The blond-haired man flickered his eyes to his fellow hero and sighed at the expression of the man.

Eisuke's face brightened and the man clenched his hand into a tight fist. His eyebrows seemed knitted together and his jaws clenched together. He took a couple of steps forward, looking ready to charge in but Gaara yanked him back. The teen tightened his grip around the man.

Eisuke grinded his teeth together and swirled his head at Gaara. "Why the hell would you do that? We know that they are there! My job literally asks me to save them!"

Gaara looked at him and sighed but did not let of his hand around Eisuke's arm. Teal eyes flickered from the boy to her as if telling her that if she had any doubts about being related then this should be her proof. Or maybe this was her own mind trying to reassure her that the words of the elder was true. Hawks pressed his lips into a thin line and eyed them, waiting to see what the boy would say.

"Does your job also require not for you to use your head and to act completely with your emotions?" Gaara asked, eyeing the man before them. He eyed the warehouse before them with a small frown. "We will be going inside without a plan and with no information of who we are dealing with."

"But we can't wait forever," Naruto looked at the warehouse and chewed on her bottom lips as her mind conjured up various pictures of what the children and her potential relative was going through. There was just no telling of what these people could do to those kids. "We don't know when those kids and Tomoyo will be taken to Iwakagure."

Gaara sighed. "I see your point Naruto but just charging in there without a plan may cause harm that could have been avoided."

"Yes, but we have been searching for them for days," Naruto reminded him. "We have been lucky that they haven't managed to ship them off yet."

The teal-eyed boy inhaled and exhaled before flickering his eyes to the two adults that were now watching them with interest. The teen fixed his eyes on her, lips pressed into a thin line and arms crossed against his chest. "Yes that may be true but we will need to have, at least, have some clue on the numbers and confirmed if all the children are there."

Hawks nodded his head. "The Kazekage is right—"

"Gaara," Gaara corrected. "I'm not yet Kazekage."

The hero smiled and nodded before looking at the windows. His brown eyes trailed down the warehouse, landing on the doors before looking at the two shinobi and fellow hero. "As Gaara has stated before, we do not have a lot of information to work with. Besides, it is daytime now. Operations like these are mostly conducted at night."

Eisuke clenched his jaw. "I know but Tomo-chan and those kids are in—"

"Uzushiokage, do not let your personal feelings get in the way now." Hawks looked at his fellow hero with no amusement shining through his eyes. Eisuke balled his hands into a fist and nodded his head. Naruto gazed at the two adults with blue eyes that focused on the man that seemed ready to charge in to save his_ (our_, she corrected herself) relative.

Eisuke inhaled and exhaled as his green eyes seemed fixated on the warehouse. "How are we going to get information on these people? Both of our faces are known by the people and the same goes for Naruto since she is the winner of the Sports Festival. No offense, Gaara but you don't seem to look like you can gather information."

"I can," Gaara informed him. Eisuke blinked and the three of them watched as the red-haired boy took out the stopper from his gourd. The teen weaved his hand through several hand signs before placing his fingers on his forehead. Both Eisuke and Hawks blinked at the sight of an eye being formed from the sand.

It moved around before moving straight through the small opening of the warehouse that Hawks had pointed out for them. The two professional heroes swirled their heads at Naruto. The blonde flickered her eyes to the warehouse before looking at the adults before her, who just stared at her with expecting eyes. She shrugged her shoulders.

"What is he doing?" Eisuke asked.

Naruto stared at him. "Gathering intel. Between the four of us, Gaara is probably the best person for the job. I don't have a jutsu or have any idea of how to gather intel when my jutsu aren't made for this. It seems like you are in the same boat, so Gaara is our best choice. Gaara's third eye allows him to see whatever is in its field of vision."

"Useful in this situation," Hawks muttered. "So judging from your words…neither of you can replicate that technique."

Naruto shook her head. "This is a technique that only Gaara can do, not even his siblings can do this."

"So we just need to wait and see," Hawks commented, sitting down as his brown eyes fixated on the sea that laid behind them. Eisuke sighed and took a seat on the ground, looking troubled at this piece of information. The red-haired man ran his hand through his hair, teeth nibbling his lips and hands balled into a fist.

Naruto nodded and looked at Eisuke. "We will get them, Uzushiokage."

Eisuke stared at her and forced a smile as his green eyes locked on the rising and falling waves of the ocean. The three of them did not talk, only watching and waiting for Gaara to gather the information that they needed. _Everything is now on Gaara's shoulders._

She just hoped that those kids and her relative were not too traumatized from this.

* * *

_I can't even hum to cheer up these kids without those bastards noticing that I have their kunai with me._ Tomoyo clenched her jaws and stared at the solemn faces of the kids. As each day passed, the gray-haired woman could only see as those childish eyes seemed to die just a little bit. The hope in them seemed to fade as if they believed that the heroes would never come for them.

Violet eyes widened slightly when she felt a familiar but distant hum around her ear. Darting her eyes to the shinobi, who seemed more focus on eating their take-out, Tomoyo wiggled her way closer to the walls. She pushed the kunai alongside her as the children looked at her with a frown. She closed her eyes, knitted her eyebrows and tried to make sense of what she was sensing from the outside.

Out of the three chakra signatures, Tomoyo could only recognize Eisuke. _Why does he have two other people with him?_ _And who are they? I know they can't be heroes._ As far as she knew from her cousin, he was the only hero that was currently using chakra as his so-called Quirk. Did another shinobi find him and convince Eisuke that they were here to help? _He was always so trusting!_

"Neechan, are you okay?" One of the boys asked, drawing her attention away from the wall. Brown eyes looked at her with concern as his eyes lingered on her forehead. Tomoyo inhaled and exhaled, forcing herself to smile and act calm. Her anger for the potential consequence of Eisuke's trusting nature should not be shown to them.

"I'm fine!" She tried to keep her voice as upbeat as she could. _Mimic Eisuke._ The child smiled and looked away from her, allowing the young woman to drop her smile. _Three chakra signatures and only one of them is Eisuke._ She chewed on her bottom lip. _The other two chakra signatures don't feel like anyone from the clan…in fact it is a mixture of warmth and very cold chakra._

How could there be two types of chakra was a complete mystery to her but it worried her. Were these shinobi going to be here to help her cousin save these kids? Or were they going to backstab him? She chewed on the inner corner of her cheek and looked at the kids, only to freeze when she saw a floating eye.

The eye stopped at the sight of them and seemed to be fixated on the youngest child gawked, opened its mouth to scream but only to close it when the oldest child nudged at him. _Make any sound and those people will realize that they are being spied on._ One wrong move and it was over for all of them. A chance of living would be taken away from them.

These shinobi did not seem to care one bit that they were human.

Tomoyo flickered her eyes down to the kunai. _The moment they charge into here, I will cut myself loose and run as fast as I can with the children._ She dropped her lower body down and grabbed the kunai, wiggling her way back to her original position. Taking in a deep breath, she dropped the kunai back on to the ground and locked eyes on the shinobi that seemed content with eating their meal.

_I would love to have some pasta instead of being force-fed with crackers. If they are so serious about taking us to their country then they need to feed the children better._ Violet eyes narrowed as the only female of the group grinned at her, looking pleased at her absolute anger of what was happening. Her teammate turned around and smiled, his eyes lingering on her legs.

"Don't touch her," one of the other shinobi grunted; the same one that she fought before her kidnapping. "The Tsuchikage will want all of them in one piece."

The man grunted. "We are already breaking his orders when it came to the numbers. What harm can a little touch do?"

"A lot," the shinobi deadpanned, grabbing hold of him. "Think with your upstairs brain and not the one in your pants. If the Tsuchikage see that there is any damage on the goods then we are screwed."

The other man grunted and locked eyes on Tomoyo. "But we all know what the woman is going to be used for when we take her there. Let her have a kid the natural way…"

"Don't act like a pig," the woman grunted. "You have a wife at home and you are thinking of cheating on her with _this woman._ You should be more focus on trying to find a way for us to transport these kids."

_Let her have a kid the natural way._

Bile rose up to her throat at the implication of those words alongside a pair of sad turquoise and grey eyes. _Since my mother is gone, I'm going to have act like a mother to Shouto._ Her best friend lost her mother because of these kind of things. Tomoyo fixated her eyes on them, rather more on the floating eye that seemed to be getting closer to the door.

_If these people actually manage to make me a mother, I will kill myself because I won't ever bring a child that wasn't born from love._ She would not end up like Fuyumi's mother. She was going to end up like her mother and find someone like her father because that was what she deserved. A forced pregnancy was the last thing she wanted.

_I am going to be as free as a bird and enjoy my twenties._

She was not going to end up being a tool for some sick bastard again.

* * *

"They have taken more kids than previously reported in the newspaper," Gaara informed them as the sand went back into his gourd. The sixteen-year-old boy pressed his lips into a thin line and looked at the three people. Naruto clenched her jaws while the other heroes grimaced at this news. "Some of them appear older than four."

Eisuke nodded and rubbed his chin. Green eyes focused on the windows of the warehouse before darting straight to the only visible door before them. Was he also thinking of ways of breaking into the warehouse like she was? Or was he very concern about the state of the children and his cousin? Naruto couldn't really tell, not when she doesn't know Eisuke all that well.

"How are the kids? Are they okay?" He asked. "What about Tomo-chan? Is she okay?"

Hawks stared at Eisuke and then flickered his eyes to the warehouse. The man made no comment, only fixating his eyes on the warehouse that stood before them. A small yawn escaped from his mouth, reminding Naruto of the fact that they had been up the whole night with following the paper trail left by Tomoyo.

"The children are alive but they will need to be fed as soon as they escaped from the warehouse," Gaara finally answered. Naruto grimaced and clenched her hands into a tight fist. Hawks pressed his lips into a very thin line while Eisuke clenched his jaws. The red-haired boy fixated his eyes on Naruto, who looked back at him with a small frown.

"And Tomo-chan?" Eisuke asked quietly.

"She is fine." The red-haired man let out a sigh of relief while Naruto eyed Gaara. The older boy looked back at her with eyes that shone with some disgust, making the blonde wonder if the boy could also hear with that third eye of his. Hawks eyed Gaara but made no attempt to catch him out with his lie.

"How many shinobi are there inside?" Hawks asked.

"Three," Gaara answered and he turned to look at Naruto. "We can deduce from those vests that the Iwa nins are either chuunin or jounin."

Naruto nodded her head and looked at her hands. If they were dealing with chunin then it would not be a big deal for them to fight but three jounin was a whole different story. _Maybe one will be mangable but three?_ She steadied her trembling arms and smiled. _Have I gotten stronger?_ This was probably the best time to check her strength.

Hawks gazed at them and rubbed his chin. "So what is Chunin? And a Jounin?"

Eisuke pushed himself up from the ground and looked out to the warehouse before them. "There are four ranks in every shinobi village as far as I know from Pops. The lowest ranks are the genin. You can say that they are the cadets and generally, they are considered the weakest among them."

_They are not weak._ Naruto chewed her tongue from lashing out at those words and hunched her back while Gaara looked at her. While she had no plans of resuming her kunoichi duty, it was still a pain in the ass to be reminded of what her rank would be seen by other people. _I bet if I go to Konoha, I am the only one that is still a genin._ She scowled.

"After the genin, comes the chunin." Eisuke continued on, not noticing the growing irritation from Naruto. "They are able to watch over and guide other ninja. They can become a team leader and in charge of small teams. The next rank is Jounin, which are shinobi that serve as military captain. Uncle Asa and Dad were jounin before they came here."

Naruto raised her eyebrow at this knowledge. It really should not come to some surprise to her since they were old but it was still hard for her to believe.

"The final rank is a Kage," Eisuke finished. "They are generally seen as the strongest shinobi in the village. Since our great-grandfather died to protect the village, father had taken the title when it comes to our clan and the remaining people from their village."

Hawks nodded and hummed as his brown eyes fixated on them. He rubbed his chin as his eyes fixated on the ships that seemed to be moving away from them. The wind swept their hair up and Naruto shivered. The teen rubbed her arms, trying to generate some heat to warm up her body.

"So what are your ranks?" Hawks asked the teens.

Gaara sighed. "Jounin."

Hawks whistled and looked at Naruto, who stared at the red-haired boy. The blond-haired girl rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding his searching eyes, before finally slumping her shoulders. "Genin."

"And she is considered weak?" Hawks asked, blinking at this piece of information. Naruto scowled while Eisuke blinked at her, taken aback at the knowledge that she was still considered a genin. The blue-eyed girl inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm down her growing irritation at how these people presumed that she was weak.

"I'm not weak and for your information: Genin is only a rank," she said calmly even as her fingers dug into her skin. "It does not tell you the strength of that shinobi. I fell short in my exam for the promotion because of my decision-making capabilities. I only had one match to show off my skills and capabilities…and I was not capable of keeping my emotions in check."

Gaara stared at her. "Yes, I do believe the people judging you at the time, thought you were too emotionally invested into the fight and act too much with your emotions. There is that fear that you don't know when to retreat in a battle."

"It is hard to control my emotions when Neji tried to kill Hinata for something that was not her fault," Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the warehouse. "The things he said to her…it rubbed me off in the wrong way and I just wanted to make him pay for hurting her like that."

Eisuke stared at them and twisted his body around, green eyes fixated on her. She raised her eyebrow at him and the man gazed out at the sea. He inhaled and exhaled, rubbing the sides of his head as if he was dealing with a massive headache. Finally, the man turned to look at Gaara. "Should she really be doing this with us?"

"You don't know how to fight a shinobi," Naruto reminded him. "If you are worried because of a rank then let me remind you that genin is just a rank. I am a stronger than most genin and I can handle chunin so don't let my shinobi rank, make you decide I need to sit this thing out."

She chewed on her bottom lip as Gaara looked at her. Genin was just a rank and maybe she had been too emotional at the time. More than she should and maybe she should have been more smart when it came to fighting Neji. But her emotions always get the better of her whenever she saw a friend or comrade hurt.

"I don't fully understand this whole ranking thing and I don't give a fuck about it," Eisuke informed her. "But whatever happens to you will rest on my shoulders. You are a member of my clan and I won't allow you to get badly hurt if it was possible for me to avoid it. Maybe if they were ordinary villains then I won't have a problem."

Naruto bit her tongue as words floated around her head. So what if it was confirmed that she was a member of his clan? If he cared about guilt then he shouldn't feel guilty. She knew what she signed up for, but Shouto's words floated in her head and she stopped herself. _Because she needs to learn how to trust him._ She inhaled.

"I can handle this." She inhaled and exhaled. "My emotions won't get a hold of me. I am trying to regin it in but I know I can handle myself. I am no longer that twelve-year-old girl anymore."

Eisuke pressed his lips into a thin line and bobbed his head. Hawks stared at the two of them, shaking his head while his brown eyes locked onto Gaara. The red-haired boy stared at them, looking almost uncertain whether or not if he wanted to intervene this.

Hawks shook his head. "Now we confirmed that Naruto is doing this…can we make a plan of how we are going to do this? We have only tonight to rescue the kids and this relative of yours."

Naruto grimaced at the reminder of his words and looked out to the warehouse. They only had tonight to rescue those kids from those shinobi. Tonight was the night where these kids would be saved from their misery and a part of Naruto felt glad that she was a part of this rescue operation.

This was the night that would be the start of her new career as a hero.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N:** **I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter**.

* * *

The evening sunrays glinted through the windows of the warehouse, bright enough for Tomoyo to make sense of the world around her. It was evening like these, where Tomoyo longed to be out of her ropes and bathe in the serenity of the fading sunlight. She sighed and looked at the disheartened children, whose childish eyes were slowly but surely becoming more and more dull as the hours ticked by without any hints that help would arrive.

She inhaled and began to hum the lullaby that her father taught her. Was she worried that the shinobi will be angry? Of course but her mother's blue eyes flashed before her and her words echoed in her ear._ If you want to become a doctor, Tomo-chan then you need to be brave. This isn't a job for the weak-hearted._ Violet eyes softened when the children looked at her.

The shinobi stopped their game of cards and turned their heads to look at her. Sweat build around her forehead but Tomoyo swallowed down a lump and forced herself to narrow her eyes at them. They narrowed their eyes at her and for a brief moment a kunai appeared before her, thrown by the woman and impaling her in the stomach. _I heard stories from Uncle Kenji but it is a whole different story to face killer intent._

She swallowed back her bile and looked down at her feet, not bothering to see how happy they were. The children hung their heads and the gray-haired woman plastered on a smile. The children relaxed, closing their eyes and slumped their bodies around. Tomoyo frowned and closed her eyes, trying to make sense of the chakra that stood a couple of meters away from them.

The buzzing of a chakra that felt both warm and cold seemed to be getting closer to the building alongside her cousin. _Are they going to do another stake out? Or are they finally going to rescue us?_ Violet eyes flickered to the trio, who did not seem to have noticed that there was someone with chakra approaching them. If anything, they seemed more focused on talking than being on alert.

"Once we finally managed this, what do we do about the daughter of the Fourth Hokage? And his other potential relatives?" The man asked. "This is our chance to get rid of them. We don't know if his daughter is as talented as her father."

_Fourth Hokage? Daughter? Do we have another diplomatic issue that we don't know about?_ Tomoyo frowned and eyed them, watching as the only non-perverted man stood up from his seat. She channeled some chakra into her ear, ready to listen into the conversation. How could they be certain that the daughter of the Hokage was in Japan? Wouldn't she have to be protected? Or be in missions?

_I should have paid attention to Akira-sama's boring lessons._

"Nothing," Tomoyo blinked while a wave of protest came from the two shinobi. "I made a deal with Isamu and the bastard made it clear he will only help us cover our tracks in our kidnapping, if we leave Uzumaki Naruto and Bakugou Katsuki to him. The moment we attack that girl, Isamu will have the chance to spill the beans to the government. So I rather not fuck this up."

_Uzumaki Naruto? Isn't that Fuyumi youngest brother's friend? The girl that probably caused this whole mess._ Tomoyo chewed on her bottom lip as her heart leapt to her throat. Bakugou Katsuki was not someone that she cared about nor knew much about. But Fuyumi talked about Naruto and Shouto's relationship.

_I don't think I have ever seen Shouto lose control of his emotions unless it is about Naruto. Isn't it funny that I'm grateful for her being in his life, Tomo-chan?_ Tomoyo swallowed and furiously shook her head. Violet eyes focused on the windows as the chakra presence came closer to the door.

_30 meters away._

Her throat was drying up right now.

_20 meters away._

Tomoyo picked up the kunai.

_10 meters away._

The young woman schooled her expression and cut the ropes, making a shh sound to the children that were beginning to squirm with excitement. They vigorously nodded their heads and Tomoyo kept her hands in the bound position. _It will be all over when they realized that I got rid of my ropes._

"Is there anyone here? I need help!" A young woman cried, knocking the door furiously. Everyone blinked and Tomoyo watched as the three shinobi glanced at each other. Nodding their heads, the three of them strolled towards the front door with the woman and the man hanging over their teammate shoulder. Tomoyo channeled her chakra into her eyes, focusing onto the person that was going to help them escape.

As the door opened, a cat mewed and brushed against the woman before dashing straight in. Tomoyo blinked when the cat stopped right in front of her before brushing against her side. She pressed her lips into a thin line and stared at the scene before them, wondering who this young woman was.

_She definitely has chakra._ Tomoyo gazed at the long, brown-haired woman with eyes that shone with so much innocence. The woman clapped her hands together, pushing her rather well-developed chest for the man to notice. _Either that is a henge or that woman had a job done to her chest._ She refused to believe that a chest could be that big.

"Thank goodness I found some people," the woman declared, fluttering her eyelashes as her voice turned sultry. Those brown eyes seemed to lock on the pervert of the group, who had his eyes fixated on her chest. "I need some _strong_ people to help me load some cargo into a boat and I couldn't find anyone to help me."

A tear escaped from the girl's eyes as the woman pushed her lips back and forth, looking completely distressed. _I'm glad that Haruto isn't here or Eisuke._ She narrowed her eyes and realized that there was a familiar chakra presence right beside her. She schooled her expression and watched as the shinobi stared at the woman.

"My boss will be so angry if I can't put all those cargo," the woman leaned forward and her fingers began to dance with the man's arm, who gulped and stared at those brown eyes. "Can't you help me, mister?"

"Look Lady, we can't help—"

"Don't be so hasty, Anzu," the man said, still locking eyes on the woman. "We should help this poor woman out, after all we don't want her to be scolded by her mean boss."

A bell-like giggle escaped from the woman's lips and brown eyes just seemed to sparkle with hope. The only one that seemed to be against the idea of helping this woman was Anzu. The young woman eyed the distressed woman, lips pressed into a thin line. The only female shinobi narrowed her eyes at the two distracted man.

"The both of you are thinking with your downstairs brains!" Anzu hissed at them. The woman lowered her voice and flickered her eyes to the bound kids. "Do you forget that we have a fucking mission to complete? We can't risk it just because the both of you want to get some."

"I am thinking with my brain," the man declared. _If you are thinking with your brain then why are your eyes drawn to her chest?_ Tomoyo really could not understand men and their desire to lie. "If we help this little flower then she can help us in exchange with our own cargo."

The brown-haired woman vigorously nodded. "Of course, I will help you."

"And who will watch them?" The woman demanded to her colleges.

"We can just make another rock clone if you are that worried," the man reminded his colleague softly and the brown-haired woman blinked her eyes at them. _She isn't surprised._ Tomoyo pressed her lips into a thin line and looked down at the stiff cat. "Honestly I don't know why we keep making rock clones, Anzu. These kids and that woman can't run away while tied up."

_So this whole time I have been thinking that those were shadow clones._ She clenched her jaw and cursed herself for not even taking a risk when it came to those clones. Shaking her head, Tomoyo watched as the shinobi moved to the corner of the warehouse. It was not long before three copies stood before them, looking exactly like their owners.

Tomoyo inhaled sharply and watched as the shinobi walked out of the warehouse. Taking in a deep breath, she waited till her chakra-enhanced ears could not hear their footsteps before looking down at the cat. Tomoyo looked down at the cat, raised only a single eyebrow. "You can just release it now, Eisuke!"

The children blinked and the cat mewed before dashing straight to the rock clones. Tomoyo could only roll her eyes as the henge was released and Eisuke appeared before them. Green eyes seemed focus on the rock clones that were now approaching him. Tomoyo stood up, only to blink when Eisuke shook his head.

The red-haired man pulled out a handle from his pocket, clicking a button and a long blade emerged from the handle. _Is he going to use lightening to attack them?_ God even if it was a joke in the clan about his idocity, Tomoyo never thought that he would be this reckless.

"This will be quick," Eisuke gripped his sword, green eyes narrowing at the rock clones charging straight at him. Like a blur, the man dashed straight to the incoming rock clones. One by one, Eisuke slashed them straight through the middle with his green eyes turning icy cold. The clones crumbled, dispelling to reveal a couple of rocks.

Eisuke pressed the button and put the handle back into his pockets. He clicked his heels around and turned his attention on the wide-eyed children, who gazed at him with awe. Just like when they were kids, her cousin gave them an exaggerated bow. _Sometimes he should have been a magician._ Tomoyo felt her lips twitched as the kids looked at her cousin with awe.

"Sorry we took a long time but we are here now," Eisuke said gently as Tomoyo handed him the kunai. Her cousin hugged every child, rubbing their backs and reassuring them that everything was going to be fine. In that moment, the biggest window from the ceiling was unlocked and a red-winged man swoop down. "You are going to see your parents. I bet ya that your parents are going to spoil you rotten now."

_That's Hawks. _Tomoyo gazed at the man and chewed on her bottom lip, frowning at the sight of the dark circles underneath his eyes. She shook her head as the hero strolled closer to them, brown eyes softening at the sight of the children that were now birming with life.

The children giggled and hiccupped. "Thank you, Uzushiokage!"

"You should also say thank you to Hawks," Eisuke declared, looking at Hawks. "He is going to be flying you guys back to the police."

The children beamed at the knowledge and Tomoyo watched as Hawks picked up two of the children, offering them smiles and giving them words of encouragement. Violet eyes stared at those crimson wings, watching him soar through the evening sky and taking those children from this place that had been their nightmare.

A nightmare that was finally over.

"So how long have you been free from those ropes?" Eisuke asked her while he rubbed the back of one of the trembling children. Green eyes focused on the cut ropes and then flickered to the red lines that now marked her skin.

Tomoyo sighed. "A couple of minutes. I was waiting for you to come here so I can cut myself out of these ropes and just take these kids and run."

"Why didn't you do it earlier?" Eisuke asked.

"I am not a fighter like you, Eisuke." She reminded her cousin as she placed her hand over her marked skin. Closing her eyes, the woman began to focus on healing her hand before turning her attention to her cousin. "I focus more on medical ninjutsu than ninjutsu. What am I going to do? Heal them to death."

Eisuke shook his head. "Can I guess how these people found out about your Quirk? You were using it again in the hospital, weren't you? Did you forget what happened the last time you used your Quirk in public? Tomoyo, you are supposed to be the smarter one between us! Why did you use it?"

_Tomo-chan, this is why I told you never to use your Quirk in public._ The frantic cries of her mother echoed in her ear and Tomoyo inhaled, stretching her ribs. Eisuke sighed and ruffled her hair before giving her a hug. Tomoyo sighed and hugged her cousin back, allowing herself to be reminded that she was free. "Because I can't sit there and watch people suffer, not when I can help them."

Eisuke sighed and patted her back, almost reminding her of the day when they found out about Touya's disappearance. _I should have been the one to comfort him but Eisuke decided to comfort me, Fuyumi and Natsuo._ She inhaled and exhaled his scent, reminding herself that this was not the time to cry. She was stronger than this.

"So who was the woman?" Tomoyo asked, pushing herself off of her cousin. She pressed her lips into a thin line as her ears failed to pick up any sound from those shinobi or that woman. _If they are far away then we have enough time to take care of those kids._ The thought made her relaxed.

Eisuke sighed. "That was Naruto."

"She was using henge, wasn't she?" Eisuke nodded and Tomoyo narrowed her eyes at her cousin. The boy raised his hands innocently while the children looked at them with curiosity. "You let a 15-year-old girl try and seduce two men? Uzumaki Eisuke, we need to have some words about what not to do!"

Honestly she had to wonder about the morality of her cousin and maybe the whole shinobi world, but Tomoyo guessed she was grateful for this. Because without Naruto, escaping from here would be a hell lot more difficult. _I will probably make her a cake. Hopefully she likes chocolate cakes._

She guessed she should also make some for Eisuke and his friend as well as anyone that saved her.

* * *

"It is almost like the paper trail just stopped here." Endeavour muttered as he picked up the final paper in the middle of the streets. Since this morning, his father resumed back the search for the children, having dragged Shouto from his bed and driving him for three straight hours to Hosu. By the time they arrived, Shouto could not figure out how to stop his father from looking for those kids.

Just like his hero name, his father could not give up or be subtly persuaded to not look for those kids. Letting out a sigh, Shouto just stared blankly out at the streets. His mismatch eyes focused on the pedestrians that seemed to be walking without a care in the world, not knowing of the potential war that might come soon. The other sidekicks frowned, darting their eyes everywhere as they tried to figure out where the paper was.

They looked at him and Shouto knelt down, mismatch eyes darting everywhere as if he was actually looking for the trail. There was no point if you asked him. Shouto knew Naruto well enough to know she must have decided to throw away the papers. _They can't let anyone know who has been taking those kids, including the heroes. _It was understandable but Shouto still had to wonder if those two were going to be enough to save those kids.

_But she was going to meet her potential family and they may help her._ Shouto curled his lips into a frown as he realized that he hadn't thought to ask her about her meeting with her family. A pair of pink lips flashed before his eyes and the boy flushed a light shade of pink, feeling the scotching heat of his left side increasing. He shoved the memory to the side and looked at his father.

Not the time to think of what happened between them. He frowned. That might have been the main reason he forgot to ask her about it. _Later when things calm down, I will ask her about it._ He nodded, only to stop when the burning scent tickled his nose.

Shouto slowed down and looked at the building before them. Crimson flames decorated the building, encasing and building the flame walls. The black smoke decorated the evening sky and even from where Shouto stood, the scotching heat could still be felt from where he stood.

It was not long before screams echoed and the civilians screamed, their voices piercing through the skies and Endeavour looked up. His turquoise eyes locked onto the screaming civilians, grimacing and standing up from his kneeled position. The side-kicks looked around as the ashes decorated the skies, looking almost like a scene from the movies.

Shouto frowned as civilians continued to tremble and cry for help, only stopping when the sidekicks grabbed them and began questioning them of what just happened. The mismatch boy tuned them out. His mismatch eyes fixated on the creature jumping down from the building and onto the ground.

_That thing looks similar to the creature that attacked us in USJ._ Shouto frowned and flickered his eyes to his father, who lifted a hand up. Flames erupted from his father's palm, blasting straight to the monster. The flames burned through the monster skin, making the monster collapse straight to the ground.

_Beep._

In that moment, his phone rang and Shouto looked at his phone. Mismatch eyebrows knitted together at the sight of the group chat that Ashido had made for them. _The narrow lane by Ekou Street. 4-2-10._ That was the only message Midoriya sent to them, nothing else but it was enough for Shouto to guess what had just happened.

Because Midoriya was not the type to send a message like this if it meant that he needed help.

Taking a deep breath, Shouto clicked his heels and began to dash the other way. He pushed and ignored the screams of the sidekicks while his eyes tried to figure out the shortest route to help Midoriya. _Why is it those two always have bad luck?_ He grinded his teeth at the realization that he now had two people to worry about.

He couldn't help Naruto but he definitely could help Midoriya.

"Shouto, where are you going?" Endeavour screamed from behind him. Shouto slowed down his pace, realizing that maybe he needed to explain himself to the man before dashing straight to Midoriya to offer aid. "I am heading to the narrow lane by Ekou Street, behind the building number 4-2-10."

He stopped and looked at the various civilians that surrounded them. All of them were screaming as the Nomu continued to wreak havoc, destroying and crumbling buildings. Trees torn apart and Shouto stared at the man that made him. As a father, he was crap but the man was an amazing hero. Out of all the heroes here, he was probably the best suited to do this.

"When you are done defeating these villains, send in any heroes who have any free time on their hands." Shouto gazed down at his phone. "I will need backup."

His father gazed at him. "Shouto—"

"My friend might be in trouble and I need to help him," he cleared his throat and continued to dash away from Endeavour. Mismatch eyes focused on the various streets names, trying to make sense of which street would lead him to the location that Midoriya put in the phone chat.

He probably couldn't help Naruto since he didn't fully understand what he would face, but he could help Midoriya.

* * *

The salty breeze from the sea tickled Kenji's nose, reminding the man of the weekends when his father would drag him, Ren and Asa out to the beach. _A man should know how to ride a boat._ Kenji inhaled and exhaled, hazel eyes fixated at the sky as the memories flood passed through his eyes. He spent his childhood, teens and his early twenties in this part of the world but it felt like he doesn't know this part of the world anymore.

_I wonder how much this part of the world has changed._ Kenji sighed and looked down at his hand, at the old Hitai-ate that he used to wear with pride. Yells and screams echoed in his ear. Dull hazel eyes flashed before him alongside the corpses of all those that he killed in battle. Kenji shook his head and slipped the Hitai-ate back into his pocket before looking at Riku.

Riku hummed and stared down at his phone's lock screen wallpaper; a picture of him with his four children. The red-haired man sighed and slipped the phone into his own pocket before looking at Kenji. "We will need to get a change of clothes before we meet the Tsuchikage."

"I know," Kenji grunted and looked out to the ocean before resuming his rowing. "As soon as we land on the nearest port in Hi no Kuni, we are going to the nearest shop."

He paused midway in his rowing as blue eyes flashed before him. _I have been a Jinchuuriki since birth._ Kenji frowned and put the ore over his lap. His eyebrows knitted together as a question began to form around in his mind, a question that he should have asked Naruto in their meeting. But then again he felt pressured to keep the mask of clan leader in front of everyone.

He doubt that Naruto could even remember what happened on the night of her birth, but what happened during Kushina's labor? Kenji frowned and looked up at the sky. _I told that pansy that Kushina's seal will only weaken during childbirth. Did he forget about it? I thought he was supposed to be a genius, so where did he go wrong?_ The more he thinks, the more Kenji felt irritated.

"You look pissed." Riku commented gently. "Do you also plan to go to Konoha and demand for justice for what happened to Kushina's daughter."

Kenji schooled his expression and looked out to the ocean. That was well within his right and he knew Kushina would have wanted him to do this. Not because she was Kushina. But because she was a mother and if she had been anything like her father, then Kushina must be furious to see that her own daughter had been abused.

"Yes. I will forgive the slight they did to us in the war but I will never forget what they allow a child of our clan went through," Kenji inhaled. "But I also want to know how the hell did that pansy not keep the seal in check when his wife was in labor."

Riku eyed him. "Are you sure that Namikaze Minato is her father? Maybe Kushina found someone else to marry."

_I love him, Kenji-niisan!_ Determined violet eyes flashed before him and Kenji snorted. Riku raised his eyebrow at him, not looking one bit like he understood what he found funny. _For someone that is supposed to be smart, he really doesn't understand Kushina._ When Kushina was determined on a thing then she would fight to make it happen.

If Kushina wanted to marry Minato then she would make it happen. Politics and the approval of their grandfather was not something that she cared about.

"Nothing in the world will stop Kushina from marrying Minato," Kenji informed him. "Beside, you have seen Minato and you know damn well that Naruto has his hair and eye colour."

Riku sighed and looked at him. His eyes locked onto the trembling arms of Kenji and the man pressed his lips into a very thin line. _Now what doesn't the bastard like?_ It was not like he was going to demand war or cause mayhem. He wanted justice for breaking the conditions set alongside answers for what happened during the birth of Naruto.

"Kenji, you shouldn't go to Konoha when you are furious." Riku informed him. "If you find out the truth of what happened that day then you are going to lose it."

Kenji grinded his teeth. "I have already lost it when you pointed out that Naruto was abused. That she had not even been allowed to some restaurants and the only reason those civilians wouldn't allow her to go in, was if they knew about her being a jinchuuriki."

_I didn't hand Kushina over to them without making sure she and her descendants can have a normal life, Kenji._ That had been his grandfather's words when he accused him of making Kushina's life like hell. _They break those conditions and Kushina and her descendants will be handed back to us. _He clenched his jaws.

"They broke the conditions of us handing a child of our clan to them," Kenji reminded him. "I deserved answers of why they broke those conditions. Did they think because we were gone that the conditions did not apply? Or what? If it was the first then they can be forgiven. But no matter what, I will demand for justice for the abuse she went through."

"Are you also going to say that Naruto is no longer a member of Konoha when they broke those conditions? Do you plan to tell them this?" Riku looked at him with shock and Kenji grimaced. It had occurred in his mind, something that he wanted to make true but Kenji wasn't a complete idiot. While he might not be as smart as Asa or Riku, he did have some knowledge of Konoha's system.

"The Third Hokage will honor us if I asked…but that is if he is alive," Kenji rubbed his chin. "But I don't know if the Hokage is still the Third or if they have a Fourth Hokage now. Besides even if the Hokage agreed, the council will not agree. They will just cause more harm and Japan will suffer…so I can't go with that route."

_As long as Naruto carries the Kyuubi, she will never be completely free from Konoha._ Kenji inhaled and exhaled as his brain tried to think of a way that the girl could be just a little bit more free. He doesn't know what happened in the time that his clan chose to go to the other side of the world but he will make sure that the council will recall who helped their First Hokage build their village.

Their alliance in the first three Hokage stood because of Mito and Kushina. Their alliance would only stand further with Naruto and if they do not wish to honor it, then they better hope that they could find a seal master as good as an Uzumaki. Because he was not having any more of this disrespect being thrown to his clan.

**~X~**

The sight of the burning buildings almost made Naruto paused in her way of leading those Iwa nin to the assigned area. What was happening out there? Why were there buildings that were being burnt? Now she was no genius but something told her that this was a planned attack. She flickered her eyes to the Iwa nin, who also frowned at the sight before them and their faces were turning pale.

They were probably worried about what would happen to the kids and Tomoyo. Naruto felt a tickle of worry in her stomach but the main focus was getting these Iwa nin to go back to their village. Once this was over, she would make sure to go and help the city with whatever problem they had.

"S-So where do you come from?" Anzu questioned her.

Naruto hummed. "A small village from over the ocean. I am sure that you probably have never heard of my home, it is so tiny that only a few people has ever heard of it."

Her lips curled into a smile and Naruto slipped her hands into the pocket. She slipped her hands into her pocket, toying with the chakra suppression seal that Eisuke gave her. _When you capture them, put this on their neck to make sure that they can't access chakra. The clan will deal with them._ She hummed a little tune as a part of her wondered what Eisuke meant by dealing with them.

"We are foreigners," the man explained, narrowing his eyes at Anzu. "Forgive Anzu."

The other man frowned and looked around the scene before them. His eyes widened when he noticed that they were heading straight to the empty carpark, which had no cars and certainly no cameras for what was going to happen. Sweat began to build around their whole body and Naruto almost felt pity for them. "Where is your cargo?"

No one deserved pity for kidnapping children and woman and Naruto would make sure this bastard would learn. Naruto paused, clicked her heels and hummed. "Oh? Did I say cargo?"

Their eyes widened as Naruto dispelled the henge. Blue eyes darkened as her clones emerged from the shadows alongside Gaara, who looked at the Iwa nin with no emotions in his eyes. The Iwa nin gulped and tried to sprint, only to be blocked by a barrier. A barrier seal that Eisuke had created when Naruto informed him of the area that she wanted her fight with these Iwa nin to take place.

"We were fucking tricked!" The woman snarled.

Naruto hummed and stared at them with no humor in her eyes. "Did you honestly believe that there was no way someone would not have been able to figure out where those kids were? Were you so arrogant that you believed that you can get away from this? You are willing to start a war for a bunch of Kekkei Genkei."

"If the Tsuchikage gives us an order then we follow through with it," Anzu shifted her body into a battle stance. "This mission is more important than you realize, Uzumaki Naruto…or should I call you Namikaze Naruto?"

_Why does that last name sound familiar to me? Why does she think my last name should be Namikaze?_ Naruto readied herself and stared at the woman that stood before her. She cleared her throat and stared at the blood-thirsty eyes of the shinobi around her.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto and you are right, this mission is important," she snarled. "Those children are children of this country and deserved to be able to live the life that they want. They don't deserve to be dragged into our type of lifestyle. I'm not here to just prevent a war from happening but because this is the right thing to do."

"You think I give a fuck about morality," the woman laughed, pulling out her own kunai. "You forgot what being a shinobi means, girl. There was no morality during the shinobi world war, or your precious father wouldn't have killed so many of our nin in one day. If we don't steal these kids then another village will do it. The Tsuchikage won't take any bets on that not happening."

Naruto narrowed her eyes and blocked a slash from the woman's kunai. "Gaara, I will deal with her."

Anzu growled, looked at the two male teammates and snarled. "She isn't going to be a problem for me to defeat but that boy is not someone that one shinobi can defeat. All of us have heard rumours of what the fifth Kazekage to be can do, so deal with him."

Just as soon as she finished saying that, the woman made a set of hand seals and from the woman came a rather large wall made of rock that created a shield between them. This left Naruto blocked all around, leaving her with the only option of fighting this woman. "Let me show you of the differences between us, Uzumaki Naruto."

"And let me show you why you should never underestimate me because I'm Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto narrowed her eyes as her hands came together. "And why people call me Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Kunoichi."

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	28. Chapter 27

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

Naruto held her kunai up and a smile played on her lips as the woman gazed at her. She originally planned to use her shadow clones but this woman might have suspected this, so she would need to use it later. The blond-haired girl flickered her eyes at her surrounding from the walls to the end of the car park, where the barrier seal was placed.

The seal would only deactivate when Eisuke placed his chakra and the man would probably have to wait till all of the children had been rescued before coming here. Naruto inhaled and exhaled as the woman watched her. Attacking this woman without knowing her jutsu was going to be tough but not impossible. But she shouldn't rush, she needed to think first and take in their surroundings.

"So why didn't you try to do recon first?" Naruto asked, allowing the irritation to leaked out of her voice. "Do you realize the mess that you and your team caused? The trauma that you just caused for those kids."

The woman laughed at her words and Naruto frowned as the woman faded from her view. _Even though she is fast, I can still sense her._ Blue eyes closed and the blonde held her hand up, blocking the kick from the woman. Her whole body vibrated from the attack and her feet almost moved from the impact. _She is definitely slower than Ero-Sennin._

"Oh we did do recon but unlike the other villages, we have someone in Japan to cover our tracks." The woman laughed. "That is our advantage and why we know we can get away with this."

In that moment, the woman made a couple of hand seals. _What are those hand seals? What jutsu?_ Naruto grimaced and made a familiar hand seal, forming several hand seals as the woman disappeared from her sight. Several shadow clones appeared and Naruto darted her eyes everywhere. Up? Right? Left? Naruto grimaced and closed her eyes, trying to figure out from the woman's chakra.

_Think like my opponent._ Blue eyes widened when she felt a chakra presence coming up and without a second thought she weaved her hands together into a familiar hand seal. Anzu bursted out from the ground, fist slamming at Naruto as she yelled. "As for trauma? They will get over it."

The Iwa nin blinked as Naruto dispelled, revealing a shadow clone. She darted her eyes everywhere, only to stop when Naruto and her shadow clones made a couple of hand seals. "You have no compassion for what you did to those kids, don't you?"

As soon as she finished saying this, a powerful blast of wind came from Naruto and her clone's mouths. The wind swirled, targeting straight to the woman. Anzu snorted and made a set of hand-seals and a wall erupted from the ground, blocking the attack. "And you have a bleeding heart for a kunoichi."

Naruto narrowed her eyes and channeled her chakra straight to her legs, dashing straight to the walls. It was not about having a bleeding heart. She smashed her fist against the wall, cracking and splitting it apart to reveal the Iwa nin. The woman blinked, looking almost taken back at the sight of Naruto's strength.

"You know compassion can go a long way," Naruto declared. "But let us stop talking and let me show you what this bleeding girl can do."

The woman growled, weaved her hand through a couple of hand seals and the surrounding around her began to blur as mist took its hold. _The Hidden Mist Jutsu!_ Naruto grimaced and closed her eyes. Sight was not going to help her but if she channeled her chakra into her ears and nose then she could pinpoint the location.

The next attack was Anzu's kunai flying through the mist, aimed right at Naruto's chest. Seeing this almost made Naruto blink were it not for the fact that if she blinked then this would be the last thing she would see. Jumping into the air to avoid the kunai, Naruto did not notice the figure coming towards her.

Before Naruto could touch the ground and regained her footing, Naruto was smashed to the side of the wall from a kick by Anzu. The wall had a dull crack…hopefully not from her vertebrate. _I need to focus more on my taijutsu because Ero-Sennin is definitely not going to let me down if he finds out about this._

Naruto flickered her eyes around, grimacing as she realized that the woman had slashed her shadow clones. The blonde inhaled and exhaled, closing her eyes as her hands made another set of hand seals. _I definitely cannot win with this stupid mist covering my sight._ A huge powerful wind came out of her lips, blowing away the mist to reveal her opponent.

Channeling her chakra to her legs, Naruto launched herself at the woman and smashed her fist against Anzu's face. There was a crack that was hopefully from the woman's face. Anzu flew several feet away, body smashing against the barrier and the woman crashed down to the ground. Blood leaked out of her mouth but Anzu pushed herself up.

"Not bad for a genin," the woman laughed and her finger rubbed the blood off of her mouth. "But then again considering who your father was, it is only natural that his daughter is also talented."

_My father? Why the hell does she talk like she knows who my father was?_ Naruto furiously shook her head and stared at the woman, whose eyes seemed fixated on her. The blonde weaved her hands together and out came several shadow clones. Naruto inhaled and tried to regain her emotions in check, shoving away the questions of her father.

"I am not talented because of my father," Naruto declared as the woman launched a shuriken at her. Her clones and her stepped to the side, only for the shuriken to change direction and pierced the original Naruto at her shoulder. A stabbing pain erupted from her shoulder and Naruto grimaced, pulling out the shuriken. Blood stained her shirt and the blonde prayed that the Kyuubi would not be petty and just heal her.

"I don't think I am talented," Naruto admitted as the woman swung her leg at her. The blonde blocked the kick with her arm, coming so close to be knocking out by her head. Blue eyes locked onto her opponent. "I worked my ass to get here but thank you for the compliment."

With those words, Naruto shoved the woman's leg away and ducked out of her fist. Taking a deep breath, Naruto did a couple of somersaults and landed on the wall that separated her from Gaara. _I don't hear any sound from there, so I guess he finished his fight quickly and is waiting for me to be done._ Naruto stared at her incoming opponent.

_Think outside the box._ She had never done this before, an idea that was formed from watching Bakugou and Izuku in their fights. Wind chakra began to wrap around her fist and when the woman was close to her, Naruto punched the woman in the face. Cuts formed around the woman's face and Anzu flew straight back to the barrier.

"A punch fueled by wind chakra, I think this is the first time that I have ever heard someone use it." Anzu declared, pushing herself up from the ground. Her fingers traced the cuts on her face. "It is a pity of who you have as a father. Maybe in another time and place, I would have taken you to Iwagakure."

Naruto snorted and tapped her Hitai-ate. "Unfortunately for you, I am still a kunoichi for Konoha and I will fight for them," pale lilac eyes flashed before her alongside the black eyes of the woman that had been like her mother, "But as a hero I will protect all the villages."

"Aren't you a little naive fool," the woman declared as she approached her. Naruto grinned and the woman paused, blinking as if she was not certain about something. Brown eyes darted everywhere as she tried to figure out what Naruto did.

"Am I a fool?" Naruto asked with a hum. In that moment, her clone erupted from the same hole that the woman created. Anzu blinked and that blink was the woman's undoing as her clone slammed her fist against her chin, sending her flying upwards. Naruto launched herself upwards, pulling out the seal that Eisuke gave her.

With her body now higher than Anzu, Naruto twisted the woman's body around and pressed the chakra suppressor seal on her neck like Eisuke instructed her. Taking a deep breath, the blonde grabbed hold of the woman and landed on the ground with both feet landing on the ground. For extra measure, the blonde smashed the woman's head against the wall.

With Anzu's eyes finally closed, Naruto looked towards the wall. "Are you done Gaara? Or do you need me to help you?"

"I slammed the seal in the first minute," Gaara explained from the wall. "I was waiting for you to finish your fight."

Naruto grinned and looked up at the sky. "Now we just need to wait for Eisuke to deactivate this barrier."

She sat down on the ground and pulled out her phone, ready to inform Shouto that they caught the kids and defeated the Iwa Nin, but only to stop when she saw the unread messages from the group chat that Ashido made for their class. Did something happen? Because there seemed to be a lot more messages than usual. Naruto nibbled her bottom lips and began to read the message, forgetting the idea of telling Shouto of her accomplishment.

_Midoriya, I can't help! I am far away from that location._ That was from Ashido and Naruto frowned. Blond eyebrows knitted together and she scrolled up, blue eyes widening when she caught sight of the location that Izuku posted in the group chat. _That isn't too far away from here._ She grimaced when she saw that the message was sent over twenty minutes ago.

_But why was he here?_ She chewed on her bottom lip and looked to the city, where the fires seemed to be slowly fading and the screams of the various civilians seemed to be dying down. Was she missing something? She couldn't be of any help until Eisuke deactivate the barrier. As soon as the barrier was deactivated, she was going to help Midoriya with whatever problem that he had.

_I just hope that he isn't doing anything stupid_

The irony was not lost on her.

* * *

"Midoriya, you need to learn how to write more specific directions." Shouto informed his friend as flames decorated his arm. It had taken him a good ten minutes to find the location on the phone and in that ten minutes, his friends were now paralyzed on the ground. He slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I was almost too late to help."

Stain licked his mouth and chuckled. "It seems like one after another, you students are coming after me."

Iida sweated and his red eyes seemed locked on him. "Todoroki, you too?"

"It took me a few seconds to figure it out," Shouto steadied himself and looked at his classmate, friend and the fallen hero to the side before locking eyes on the man called Stain. He placed his right foot onto the ground, ice crystals creeping up on the floor. "That group text to everyone with nothing but your location means that you were in trouble."

Ice erupted from the ground, pushing Midoriya and the hero to the side, and Stain jumped up from the ground. Shouto knew his ice was not going to be enough to defeat this guy. He allowed the flames erupt from his left arm, sending it flying straight to Stain.

Stain hit the wall with his feet briefly before twisting and turning his body like a ball, avoiding the flames that now burned the wall. Shouto guessed that he still needed to work on his aim since it did not hit the target that he wanted. Midoriya skated back to him while the pro hero was lodged on the side of the wall with his ice.

"You are not going to kill anyone today, Hero Killer." Shouto forced the flames out of his left hands and mismatch eyes locked on Stain as Midoriya stared wide-eyed at him. The Hero Killer gazed at him, tongue out and staring at him with blank eyes.

"Todoroki-kun, don't let him draw out your blood!" Midoriya yelled frantically and for a brief moment Shouto wanted to ask how those three were still frozen in place. "I'm pretty sure Stain paralyzes his opponents by ingesting their blood! I think that is how he got us!"

Shouto grimaced and looked at the blades that decorated the Hero Killer's body. "Well that explains all the blades."

If he ingested blood to paralyze his victims then Shouto would need to keep his distance away from him. The teen jumped back and Stain chuckled. The man threw out his knife, cutting Shouto in the cheek as the boy shifted to the side. The man rushed towards him, eyes crazed and Shouto created an ice wall to stop the incoming man.

Mismatch eyes widened when Stain slashed through the ice wall, cracking and crashing to the ground, before tossing a sword upwards. What was happening? As Shouto's eyes followed the katana, Stain leapt over the ice and grabbed Shouto by his collar. Mismatch eyes widened as a long tongue came out, touching his neck and licking it.

The tongue almost reached his cheek but only pulled back when Shouto made the flames from his left side appear. He rubbed his cut cheeks. That had been so close. One more touch and he would be in the same position as Midoriya and Iida. The Hero Killer jumped back and took out two swords, jiggered and straight from his sheath.

The man sliced the frozen ice and flung it at Shouto. Blinking, he raised his hands up and wondered what he should do. Unlike Naruto, who seemed to be good with fight without using her Chakra, Shouto relied on using his Quirk exclusesively.

_Maybe I should ask Naruto to help me with my hand-to-hand combat._

"The both of you should stop!" Iida screamed as ice erupted from the ground, stopping Stain from coming closer to them. Sweat began to cling around Shouto's face and he panted slightly but his eyes never stared at his classmate.

"Why?" Shouto demanded as he made the ice crystals larger and larger. It was probably a silly hope but maybe if he made the ice large enough, then Stain would slow down from his incoming assault. He just needed to slow down the man, just to buy enough times for the Pro-Heroes to come.

Iida grinded his teeth and tears leaked out of his eyes. "I have to do this."

_I'm not alone._ The words from Naruto's talk flooded into his mind and Shouto realized that maybe Iida felt alone in his pain from what happened with his brother. Would he feel like this if something happened to Natsuo? He probably would.

"You don't have to do things alone or bottle things up," Shouto declared evenly. Blue eyes flashed before him alongside her promise of sharing her experience of abuse. He cleared his throat and jumped back as slash marks appeared around the ice.

Shouto grinded his teeth as the ice cracked and from behind the cracked ice, Stain advised. "Hiding your own vision when you are going against an opponent that is faster than yourself is considered a poor strategy."

The heat in his left increased until flames busted out and Shouto snarled. "You would like to think so."

Pain erupted from his left hand when the knives from Stain jammed into his arm. Where had it came from? The ice hadn't even broken through yet. Mismatch eyes widened and he looked upwards to where Stain was coming down with his katana poised to kill him. "He was coming from above?"

Midoriya must have gotten out of the paralyze as the boy jumped from side to side of the walls. The teen grabbed Stain's scarf, yanking him to the side and swinging him to the wall. At least one of them could move properly because Shouto could feel a stabbing pain his left arm. "How?"

"I can just move again like nothing happened," Midoriya declared.

Mismatch eyes widened. "So it has a time limit?"

"No," the hero wheezed from Todoroki's side. "He was the last of us to get hit."

In that moment, Stain landed on his feet while Midoriya landed on his feet on the ground. With the pain in his left side, Shouto knew his left side was incapacitated but the right side was still a go. "Midoriya, get back!"

Ice glaciers charged towards Stain and the Hero Killer rolled to the side as Midoriya rushed backwards. Midoriya took huge gulps of air and green eyes locked onto Stain. "He tasted our blood and paralyzed us, but I was the first to break free somehow."

"Do you have an explanation?" Shouto asked as he held his bleeding arm.

Midoriya nodded. "I can only think of three: 1. The effect gets weaker, the more people he uses it on. is about the volume of blood that he gets and the final possible explanation is that it depends on blood type."

"I'm B."

"A."

Stain chuckled. "Blood type is the right explanation."

Midoriya placed his arms on the ground and pushed himself up. "But knowing all of this, won't really help us."

"We need to hurry," Shouto said as the blood continued to tickle down his arms. "We need to get those two out of here."

Looking at the man before him, Shouto knew that it would be difficult for him to fight one-on-one with the bastard. "I can't see an opening when he is quick enough to react to both my fire and ice. Our only best hope is to keep him at bay and keep dodging him until the heroes come."

Sparks flew all around from Midoriya's body and the teen flickered his eyes to Shouto's bleeding arm. "Since you have got too much exposed blood, I will be the one to draw his attention away while you give support."

Shouto frowned and looked at his bleeding arm. Even though he had blood leaking out of him, Shouto was still not certain if that plan was risk free. The man was quick to react to Shouto's fire and ice, meaning that he was either in the same speed as Naruto or just slightly below her. But they needed to protect those two.

"Well at least you are not naïve," Stain declared.

Shouto narrowed his eyes and grimaced. They were naïve because compared to Naruto and her friend Gaara, they didn't have much battle experience except from USJ. They shouldn't expect to defeat him but the heroes weren't here to help and Naruto was probably either diverting Hawks from searching for those kids, or looking for them.

He inhaled and held out his hand as flames burst out from his palm. Stain ducked and Izuku took this as his chance to jump. The boy swung his leg down, hitting Stain on the side and sending him flying to the wall. The man crumbled, fell down to the ground and they waited for him to move.

Seconds passed and they realized that Stain was knocked out from the kick. Midoriya let out a sigh of relief and Shouto took a step forward, mismatch eyes locked onto the scene before him and then he stopped. He doesn't know how but something told him to turn around.

Mismatch eyes met a furious shade of blue.

"Someone explained to me what the hell happened here?"

Shouto doesn't know why but he had a feeling that it was not going to be the heroes that were going to terrify the three of them. But it was going to be the furious girl trembling before him and her bright blue eyes seemed to be locked onto his bleeding arm.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the battle scenes in this chapter? Was it an improvement from the others? Or was the old style better?**


	29. Chapter 28

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"_Wait where are you going, Naruto? Don't you want me to tell you what the clan plans to do with these Iwa nin?"_

_Tell me later! I have a friend to help out!_ That had been Naruto's words when Eisuke deactivated the barrier seal, allowing Naruto the chance to run as fast as her chakra-enhanced speed could take her. She hadn't even stop to ask Gaara to come with her or tell Eisuke about what happened. Her only concern had been to make sure Midoriya was not going to do something stupid. Apparently she was too late when it came to that bit.

Naruto locked eyes on the blood leaking out of Shouto's arm, blood that seemed to be intent on straining the ground. Her throat tightened and her whole body trembled as a part of her wanted to hurt the person that put him in this situation. _He could have been killed! All of them could have been dead!_ Blue eyes flickered to the trembling Midoriya before fixating on the two paralyzed bodies.

Iida and an unnamed hero cannot look at her and that was fine. She rather not get scolded by Iida when she lose her growing temper because _they could have died tonight and no one would have known._ Naruto inhaled and exhaled, trying to regain her temper.

"What the hell happened here!" She snarled, digging her nails against her skin. Midoriya avoided her blue eyes and Shouto seemed fixated on something else. Blue eyes narrowed at him before darting to the fallen figure that laid before Midoriya._ He has to be the Hero Killer! He fits the description in the news reports!_ Had it been an accident? Or had these three try to find this guy?

Either way, these three had no way of defeating him by themselves! They were rookies! Not just any rookies but without any mentor to help them! _What they are doing is a hell lot more reckless than the fucking plan I made with Sasuke! _She tried and failed to regin in her growing temper.

Shouto took a step forward, walking straight towards her and he towered over her, blocking her view of the villain and Midoriya. Blue eyes met the cold, mismatch eyes of Shouto. Her body trembled but was it from anger? From worry? Or was it another emotion? She doesn't know as she looked into Shouto's eyes and her eyes fixated on the thin cut in his face. Her fingers itched to touch it but Naruto bit her tongue.

"Iida went in search for the Hero Killer: Stain," Shouto locked his eyes on her and his eyes flickered from her furious eyes to her heaving chest before looking back at her. "I don't know how Midoriya figured out that Iida would search for him but he went after him. When he confronted Stain and Iida, he sent his location to the group chat."

Naruto inhaled and exhaled as her blue eyes flickered to Iida, who looked like he wanted to avoid her eyes but was unable to do it. _Either the Hero Killer can paralyze people with his Quirk or he knows the right poison to paralyze people._ She grinded her teeth and dug her fingers against her skin, blue eyes fixated on the blood flowing out of Shouto's muscular arm.

She couldn't even give him or the others first aid but she was going to give them a piece of her mind. All of them had wounds but Shouto seemed to have the worst one with the blood leaking out of his arm. She clenched her jaws. Who does she blame? Iida was a definite but scolding only him was just stupid. It was not fair. Both Shouto and Midoriya had been reckless, so reckless and were only alive by luck.

"So you decided to help him by coming here without help?" She yelled at him, allowing her temper to erupt. Midoriya blinked and shifted backwards, gulping and trembling when blue eyes locked on him. _They could have died! I could have lost my friends because of this reckless action! _She grinded her teeth, clenched her hands into a fist and looked back at Shouto. "If you wanted to help him then send heroes! Don't just go and look for danger!"

"Uzumaki—"

"Don't Uzumaki me, Midoriya Izuku!" Izuku flinched at the use of his full name and Naruto smacked the ground with her fist. Punching her friends was a no go but the ground was fair game. The ground cracked and Izuku squeaked. "The three of you don't go and look for danger! The three of you were in no fucking condition to do this!"

Shouto narrowed his eyes and looked down at her, mismatch eyes growing with rage . "If Iida hadn't come then Mr. Native would have been killed! Are you seriously telling me to fucking follow the rules for this shit!"

_I could have lose you, idiot!_ The words were on the tip of her tongue but she swallowed it back. Naruto clenched her jaws and glared at him, blue eyes fixated on the growing rage in his eyes. No way she could tell him this. Not in front of these many people. So she went with the next best thing.

"I am telling you to act smart and rational, Todoroki Shouto!" Blue eyes flared up and mismatch eyes darkened at her words. Her body trembled slightly as her whole body began to heat up. She grinded her teeth. "Let me ask you this: who would have been able to save your ass? You and Izuku are rookies! And rookies are easy targets!"

"Naruto, you of all people—"

"It is because I fucking understand that I'm yelling at the three of you!" Naruto dug her fingers against her hands and swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat. Faded black eyes appeared before her and then replaced with mismatch eyes. "You think dying is some joke?"

They kept quiet and Naruto tore her eyes away from Shouto, gently pushing him to the side before fixating her eyes on the wide-eyed Midoriya and Iida. "Midoriya! You have a mother that is going to cry a river of tears if you were killed! You think she would understand your actions! Iida!" The boy flinched. "You have parents! A brother too! How do you think they would have reacted if you died on them!"

_I don't need you to answer me, Naruto-chan._ Her whole body shook and tears almost leaked out of her eyes. Was this what Hinata-chan had to deal with? To know that she nearly lost her friend. Because Naruto was so sorry. She would write so many letters to Hinata-chan, begging for her forgivness.

Because what she did to Hinata-chan had been worst and no apology on National Television could make up for it.

Blue eyes fixated on Shouto and her eyes flickered from his scratched cheeks to his bleeding arm. Her eyes burned, tears ready to burst out but Naruto held it back. She was a strong girl. Tears would let everyone know she was a weak crybaby. It was okay for Shouto to see in private.

"What would your sister say if you died? If she finds out that you died? Or your older brother?" _How do you think I would feel if you died on me._ The wind tickled her cheeks and water touched her cheeks. She grinded her teeth and rubbed her eyes, cursing herself for this weakness.

Shouto looked at her and his mismatch eyes seemed to be drawn to her cheeks and then to her eyes. She rubbed her cheeks, wiping away the tears and then her eyes. She hated him. Only Shouto could bring out this weak part of her. He brought out, Naru-chan and Naruto hated that little girl. _Why him?_ Why could he only make her feel like this?

She swallowed down her lump and looked at the boys. "Now who the hell started this goose chase? Who thought they can be a fucking crusader! _Speak!"_

Iida pushed himself up and held his hand up. His red eyes avoided looking at her, more fixated on the wounds in Shouto's arms and the slumped body of Izuku. He hunched his shoulders. "I did it, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto grinded her teeth, stomped over to him and without a second thought she smashed her fist against his cheeks. The boy crumbled to the ground, holding his jaws and everyone looked at her with horror. Izuku looked at her like she was probably insane and maybe she was. _But she nearly lost them and she was very close to losing control of the Kyuubi!_

"You want to be punched too!" Naruto snarled at Midoriya. The boy flinched and the blonde pulled Iida up, not bothering to apologize for her actions. "Because all three of you need to have some sense knocked into you through a punch! Because words are never going to get through to you!"

Midoriya flickered his eyes to the cracked ground and shook his head. "N-No ma'am."

"Now start talking!" Naruto demanded to Iida. The boy gulped, pushed his glasses up and looked at the cracked ground before pressing his hand against his jaws. He looked into her furious eyes and then looked down at his hands. His whole body trembled before he slumped his shoulders.

"Stain hurt my brother!" Iida explained. "He destroyed any chances of him continuing his career!"

Her eyebrows twitched. "At least he is alive! At least you can talk to him everyday and know that he is going to be sticking around for a long time! Do you know how many people would wish to be in that position? I can fucking understand if he is dead but…this is bullshit."

"Uzumaki-san, you don't und—"

"No, you don't understand!" Naruto snarled at him. The girl pointed to Midoriya, who was too exhausted to lift himself up, and Shouto, who still clutched his bleeding arm with some pain. "They injured themselves to save your reckless ass! This could have been avoided if you took a sidekick with you! But no, you decided you were a hotshot!"

Sasuke faded black eyes flashed before her and Naruto gulped down a lump. She had been so lucky that Haku was a gentle boy, who couldn't bring himself to kill Sasuke. If Sasuke died then it would have been her fault. _Because she had been reckless in her planning to help him._

"Do you know what happens to people that goes out in the field without thinking?" She asked Iida. "They cause unnecessary deaths and you are lucky that Midoriya and Shouto are still alive."

She looked up at the night sky. The wind tickled her cheeks as if to tell her to calm down and not allow her emotions to get the better of her. Or maybe that was what she believed now. She honestly doesn't know anymore. She just felt exhausted and wanted a hot bath. Maybe even celebrate the fact those kids had been found.

"Do you know why I nominated you of all people, Iida?" Everyone blinked and Naruto locked her eyes on him. "Maybe it was because of your appearance but it is also because you have a rigid view of what is right and wrong. Something that will make you a good hero…but you really disappointed me today. All three of you did."

The boys flinched and Naruto looked at Shouto's eyes that were not fixated on her own eyes. His eyes seemed to be locked on her stained shirt and she shivered at his darkened eyes that now seemed fixated on her shoulder. Naruto could only think of one thing now…

_I need to learn how to suppress these feelings of mine._

* * *

"_What the hell are you doing here!"_

Naruto could only wince as an old man smashed his leg against Midoriya's face, somehow managing avoiding her own face in the process. They had only managed to walk a couple of feet away from the narrow lane when the man hit him, but if you asked Naruto…he didn't hit Izuku hard enough. Honestly she was just glad that she wasn't the only one pissed off at what they did.

"I'm glad that you are fine." The old man declared. Naruto bobbed her head and looked up at the night sky. All three of the boys were lucky enough to be alive. They had wounds, not completely life-threatening thank god, but they were alive. Her friends were alive and Naruto thank god for that.

Just as soon as the short, elderly man finished saying those words, another group of heroes came charging at them. They crowded all around them, their eyes seemed fixated at their wounds and Naruto grimaced when they stared at her blood-stained shirt. It could not be known she got this in another fight, not too far away from here.

The woman gazed at them. "All of them got horrible wounds! Call an ambulance!"

"All of us?" Midoriya asked and he looked down, green eyes fixated on her blood-stained shirt. Green eyes looked at her with horror and she grunted, tightening her grip on the exhausted boy. If he even asked her about what happened then she was going to drop him in the ground. She was not in the mood for this.

"I was helping Hawks with something else," Naruto lied. Shouto flickered his eyes at her, mismatch eyes fixated on her wounded shoulder and he clenched his hands harder around the makeshift rope that they had. She twisted her body around, throat tightening and Midoriya eyed the two with a frown. Iida flinched, looking at Shouto and then flickering his eyes at Naruto.

Shouto tore his eyes away from her and looked at the only female hero in the group. "If Endeavour isn't here, does that mean he is still in the middle of the fight back there?"

The woman nodded. "We were ordered to come here because none of our Quirks can work against those villains."

In that moment, Hawks swoop down to the ground from the air and landed right beside Naruto. The blond-haired man frowned, eyebrows knitting together at the sight of her standing there with the other students, and Naruto grimaced. Hawks does not even smile when his eyes took in her blood-stained shirt. "Weren't you supposed to be somewhere else? And shouldn't you have waited with Uzushiokage and have your wound check before charging here?"

"Three idiots decided to go and play hero," Naruto answered him.

Her friends flinched and the blond-haired girl handed Midoriya to Mr. Native. Sometimes the Kyuubi could heal her quickly, fast enough that she does not notice the pain. But the beast could also be a little vindictive son of a bitch and draw out the healing process, making her feel every muscle being rebuild into something stronger and new.

She rubbed her sore shoulder and blue eyes avoided the concern mismatch eyes of her friend. He should be more concern for himself. Naruto had the Kyuubi but Shouto did not even have that to protect him. Shouto was in a lot more pain than her. A bleeding arm was a lot worse than feeling your torn muscles being regenerated again…she thinks.

Hawks eyed the two teens and snorted, earning a raised eyebrow from Naruto. The man leaned closer to her, smiled widely and allowed his breath tickled her ears. "Does my little intern have a crush on Endeavour's son?"

Naruto flushed pink and furiously shook her head, earning a little chuckle from the young man while Shouto narrowed his eyes at them. Mismatch eyes darkened and the blonde felt herself gulped at the way his eyes seemed fixated on her lips. She was definitely losing her mind. Because nothing could explain why she quivered at what was happening between them or the way his eyes seemed to gaze deeply into her.

This was not good for her.

"W-Where is Uzushiokage?" She asked him quietly, tearing her eyes away from Shouto.

Hawks grimaced, looked at the arguing heroes and then lowered his voice. "He is waiting for some backup from his family since they want to make sure that those three can't escape. We can't rely on the Kazekage to keep them restraint until they make a decision on how to deal with them."

"Decision?" She frowned.

Hawks nodded. "If the Tsuchikage wish to deal with them then we send them back with a member of your clan, but if the Tsuchikage will allow it…then they can rot in our jail."

"He is going to want the first option," Naruto informed him. Every shinobi was valuable to the village. They carried the secrets of the village and there was no way that he would allow this to happen. She grimaced and chewed on her bottom lip as her blue eyes stared at her mentor.

"Not if he wants to throw them under the bus," Hawks grimaced and scratched his neck. "You will be surprised at what the government would do to cover their own tracks, we have to wait and see what he plans to do after he meets with your head of clan."

Naruto grimaced and rubbed her chin. Could someone be so heartless to do that to their own subordinate? She doesn't know. But she guessed it was possible. Politics had always been something Hinata had been good at. Politics were a pain in the ass if you asked her. Too many rules for her to learn and care about.

Blue eyes narrowed as the screeches of a strange creature seemed to get louder. Twisting her head around, Naruto could only blink and gawked as the creature's talons reached out, snatching Midoriya from Native's back. The heroes screamed, surprised at the sudden attack. Blue eyes widened and without a second thought, Naruto took out her kunai.

She flung the kunai, aiming it straight for the creature's head. It was risky. Compared to Sasuke, Naruto had always been poor when it came to her throwing skills with the kunai. But she had to try. The kunai zoomed passed the shock heroes…and barely gazes the creature's cheeks.

_Shit!_ She grimaced and knelt down, channeling her chakra to her legs but only to blink when a knife zoomed passed her. Who the hell threw that knife? The guy had good aim because he hit the Nomu on the right lobe of the brain. The Nomu screeched, letting go of Midoriya and Naruto took this as her chance to save him. She leapt off from the ground, hand touching Midoriya's collar and yanking him to her chest.

Her legs touched the ground and the blonde dropped her friend on the ground, not caring one bit to make it gentle. She clicked her heels together, twisted her body around and blinked at their gawking expression. Did she do something weird? Blue eyes widened. Right. She was going at her natural speed…a speed that was not natural in this country.

"Girl, do you know who I target?" Naruto frowned and blue eyes widened at the sight of Stain standing before them. He took a step closer and Naruto stood her ground, blue eyes watching as the man walked closer to her. He stopped in front of her fallen kunai and throw it at her.

Naruto frowned and caught the hilt, ignoring the gasps from the heroes. What? The speed that he threw it was a hell lot slower than Jiraiya. The man eyed her and his eyes lingered on her blue eyes before flickering to her hair and then it swirled to the fallen Nomu.

"The fake heroes have overrun society," His voice echoed throughout the streets as his eyes fixated on her and Midoriya. "And the criminals who has no goal when it comes to showing off their powers. These are the people that I target. I do all of this for the sake of the world."

Those were Stain's last words before he fainted and Naruto would always wonder if the man was trying to give her a hint or something.

* * *

"_You are having a day off to recover! Consider it as my way of rewarding you for your hard work, Naruto!"_ That had been Hawk's words when he dropped her off to the hospital before flying away to smooth out details with the Uzushiokage and the children over what to tell the parents. If you asked her, this was a terrible reward. A better reward would be money or getting free ramen from him.

Naruto shook her head and looked at her empty hospital room. She was the only one in here. As a girl, they could not allow her to share the room with the boys. Too inappropriate was what they told her but she doesn't see the big deal. It was not like she planned to mount them or anything.

She just wanted to make sure that they were fine.

Naruto sighed and pushed the cover off of her temporary bed. Tonight seemed like another sleepless night for her. What happened today was not tiring enough for her not to sleep. She flickered her eyes to the television and shook her head. Romantic movies, documentary and hell even the action movie was not going to calm her down.

Placing her legs on the floor, Naruto made her way to the next room where her friends slept. She slid the door opened, peaked through and curled her lips at the sight of the three of them sleeping. Blue eyes fixated on Shouto and the blond-haired girl took a seat right beside his bed.

His chest rose up and down and a cute little snore came out of his lips. _Never took him for a snorer._ It made her smile but then Shouto could always make her smile. But he could also make her angry. And sometimes she just wanted to kiss him too, to feel his warmth. To be close to him and feel all the touches that his hands offered her. She hated this.

Because Shouto was her friend and this feeling was wrong.

She inhaled and exhaled as her eyes fixated on the band aid on his cheeks. Peach-coloured hands hovered over his cheeks, never touching it but far enough to feel the heat radiating from him. She chewed on her bottom lip and allowed her fingers to trace his band-aid cheeks. Today she could have lost him. She could have lost Midoriya and Iida too. It would have been her fault.

She chewed on her bottom lip as their faded eyes flashed before her.

"Eisuke should have quicker when it came to deactivating the seal," Naruto grumbled. "If he had been just a couple of minutes earlier than none of this would have happened."

The moonlight glinted, glowing around Shouto's exposed right arm that now had three light scars decorating it. Her hand moved down to his right arm, hovering at the scotching but comforting heat of his hand. Her fingers touched, traced and danced around the light scars. Scars that could have been prevented.

She closed her eyes and their kiss flashed before her eyes. Even now, her eyes still lingered on his lips and a part of her wondered if a second kiss would be just as good as the first. Why did kissing him feel so different? When she kissed Sasuke, all she wanted to do was spit it out. Because _she kissed her brother and that felt wrong._

"Why you of all people?" Her throat tightened and she looked at his sleeping face. "Why the hell do you make me feel like this? You make me feel weak and vulnerable. Do you know how much I hate that? I'm Uzumaki Naruto but you are bringing out, Naru-chan…and I hate that part of me."

She didn't expect him to answer her but it felt like a huge burden was lifted from her shoulders at saying those words. Tonight she would give in to that child in her. The one that liked to explore, to feel comfort and was not afraid of showing her affections. Shouto was asleep and no one would see this.

Naruto traced his scar, feeling the harshness and her blue eyes faded slightly. His mother gave him that scar in a moment of weakness. She inhaled and pressed her lips against the uneven skin of scar, before allowing her hands to touch his smooth hair. Blue eyes looked out to the nightsky, where the stars twinkled.

_You know Naruto-chan, my maid tells me that my mummy is watching me from the stars. I am sure that your mummy is in the same place as mine._

She inhaled and looked out at the night sky with her shoulders hunched. Her throat tightened as she stared at the twinkling stars. "Mum, Mikoto-obaachan…I don't know what is happening to me. I wish you were here to help me. I want you to tell me what to do to get rid of this feeling."

_Because this feeling was a feeling that she never felt before and it scared her that this feeling had so much power over her actions._

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think of this chapter? Of the pace of Naruto and Shouto's relationship? Should I slow it down? And what do you think of the relationship in general?


	30. Chapter 29

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

**(Nine and half years ago)**

_Why am I called Naruto?_

It was a question that bothered Naruto since she moved to her apartment. Names had meaning or so Naruto heard when she heard a pink-haired girl asked her Mummy why she was called Sakura. Even now when Naruto drinks a sip of the juice that the Hokage gave her, she wondered why did her Mummy and Daddy gave her such a boyish name. Why not Naruko? Or Narumi? Why Naruto?

"_That is a very beautiful drawing, Naru-chan."_ The Third Hokage looked down at the picture of him holding her hand with a smile and warm eyes. The blue-eyed girl smiled widely, cheeks stretched so wide and blue eyes sparkling at the compliment given by the old man.

_When you get big and strong, you are going to go school and show everyone just how smart you are, Naru-chan. Aren't you a smart little girl!_ The smile faded and the blonde knitted her eyebrows. Naru-chan. That was the nickname the old lady used to call her, A nickname that gave her warmth, reminding Naruto of the fact she was a girl. But Naru-chan brought an ache and reminded her how her ex-friends hurt her.

She doesn't know if she likes Naruto since it makes her sound like she was a boy.

Naruto pushed the corner of her cheek and looked at the Hokage, who was still admiring her artwork. She knows the Hokage was older than her by so many years. It would make sense for him to be smart and maybe he can help her answer this question. _Because old people were smart._ He answers all of her questions, never telling her that he doesn't know.

He doesn't get angry when she asks him a lot of questions; the matron will always get angry.

"_Old Man, why am I called Naruto?" _The Hokage blinked, frowned and knitted his eyebrows as the little girl hunched her back. _"Why do you call me, Naru-chan?"_

Dark brown eyes softened and anguished eyes gazed down at her. He does not tilt his hat nor does he give her a hug. She would like one but Naruto won't ask for it. _Monsters don't deserve to be greedy._ That was what the matron will tell her whenever Naruto wants to play with the toys with the other kids. She guessed it is the same here.

If she asks for more then he might send her back to the Matron and she never wants to go back there.

_When Naruto looks back at the age of fifteen, she thinks that this was when the Third Hokage thinks of her pain. This was when the Third Hokage does not think of his wife. The wife that the monster inside of her killed._

"_Well Naruto-chan doesn't sound as nice as Naru-chan,"_ the Hokage explained. Naruto nodded but she doesn't like her nickname. Naru-chan got a smack in her face when she wants to fight her mean friends, who hurt her feelings. Naru-chan never gets anything. Naru-chan runs away when she gets terrified. Naru-chan was a name for someone weak but was Naruto better?

"_And why Naruto? I'm a girl."_ She bounced in her seat, humming and smiling as wide as her lips could go. She twirled her fingers against her hair and stared at the smiling Hokage. His brown eyes flickered to the picture of the people wearing the same clothes as him, lingering on the man with the same hair color as her.

"_You are a very smart little girl, Naru-chan._" The Hokage smiled and looked down at the crayon drawing of her holding his hand. His eyes softened even more before he locked his eyes on her. "_I think your parents gave you that name because they knew they were going to have a strong little girl."_

Naruto nibbled her lips, knitted her eyebrows and looked down at her sandals. Was she strong? She ran away from the orphanage. Weak little princesses did that and she doesn't want to be like that. Strong people didn't cry. But Naruto cried every night before she sleeps, always wishing and dreaming to get a hug.

She was weak so why does he think that her name was strong?

"_What does Naruto mean?"_ She does not know a lot about names but she knows there was one meaning to her name. The little fishcakes that Teuchi-ojiisan puts in his ramen. But fishcakes were not strong. So she guessed that there was another meaning to Naruto.

The Hokage smiled and tilted his hat upwards, revealing his eyes fully to her. He regarded her for a couple of minutes before looking back at the photos of the people wearing the same funny clothes at him. Naruto turned her body around, following his eyes and saw that it landed on the last person on the wall. He looks to be the youngest one on the wall and maybe the nicest one.

Naruto liked his photo the best.

_When Naruto finds out who her father was, she thinks that the clue had been in the way that she had always been drawn to the Fourth Hokage. _

"_It means maelstorm, Naru-chan."_

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and looked at the Hokage. Would he get angry if she asked him more questions? She was asking more questions than she usually does. She doesn't want him to become furious with her. Nothing good ever comes whenever an adult gets angry. But the Hokage smiles at her. He saved her from the streets, gave her money and even a place to call her own.

Maybe he won't get angry.

"_What does maelstorm mean?_" She looked to the photo of the man with the same hair colour as her. Naruto looked at the photo and her eyes lingered on his bright blue eyes that looked just like hers. Maybe he was her Daddy. But if he was her Daddy then she would be rich like the Hokage and his son.

If he was her Daddy then no one would hurt her, so they must just look alike.

"_It is a very strong whirlpool."_

Yeah, Naruto was smart but not that smart.

"_What is a whirlpool?"_ She tilted her head and stared at the old man. It sounded like it had to do with water but does it have to do with rivers? Rivers were nice and cool, removing the dirt off of things. But Naruto doesn't visit the rivers anymore, not when she had a shower in her apartment.

"_It is a very strong water that moves in a circle,"_ The Hokage smiled at her and Naruto grinned as warmth circles and surges from her hands till the tip of her toes. _Strong water._ That was the only thing her mind caught and she doesn't know why, but Naruto looks to the photo of the young man with the same hair colour.

Naru-chan was a weak girl with a weak name but if Naruto means something strong…then Naruto must be strong. Her Mummy and Daddy believed she was strong. But Naruto was weak. No. Naru-chan was weak. If people used the name Naruto then she must be strong. Naruto won't cry. Naruto won't run away. Naruto won't demand for anything but respect, acknowledgment and attention.

Naruto won't ask for affections or love.

"_I'm going to be as strong as my name,"_ Naruto smiled widely. "_I'm going to be very strong Old Man just like how my parents thinks I am."_

The old man smiled, chuckled and his dark brown eyes twinkled with understanding but the blonde doesn't know why his eyes shone with grief…as if he knew why she was saying this. "_Well if you want to be strong then you need to start eating your vegetables!"_

"_But Old Man, veggies are icky!"_

From that day forth, Naruto tried her hardest to suppress her weakness…the weakness that she called Naru-chan.

_Leave it to Shouto to bring that part of her out._

* * *

_What is on my legs? It feels heavy._

Shouto let out a small yawn and pushed himself up with a small wince from his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his legs, mismatch eyes widening at the sight of a sleeping Naruto. The early morning sunrays glinted off of her hair, revealing the blond-haired girl was in her hospital gown. _Had she been sleeping here the whole night?_ He frowned and looked to the clock hanging before them.

It would not be long before the nurses and doctors would start their patrol, checking in on them and doing a second check-up on them. They were going to get a scolding if they knew she was here. He grimaced, pressed his lips into a thin line and hovered his left hand over her right shoulder…only to pause when her blood-stained shirt replaced her hospital gown. What happened yesterday? They had been so angry with each other that it slipped his mind to ask her first.

_I have some making up to do when we get out of here._

He took in a deep breath and rubbed her back. Was Naruto a heavy sleeper? Does he increase his temperature? No, the left side of his body was still a work in progress. Does he try to decrease the temperature? But ice was not the best feeling to wake up too.

"Don't wanna wake up!" Naruto moaned. Naked skin flashed before his eyes alongside pink lips and Shouto squeaked. His sister. He needs to think of his sister. No, Natsuo in a ballerina outfit. He shifted his body around, trying to dispel the uncomfortable feeling growing inside of him.

_She is going to kill me._ The heat inside of him seemed to be increasing and increasing as Naruto hugged his legs, her large chest rubbing against his legs. _She can't feel it._ He pried her hands off of his legs and knitted his eyebrows. He needed a shower. A really long, _cold_ shower because there was no way Shouto would allow Naruto or the other boys to see his growing arousal.

He flickered his eyes to Naruto's lips and groaned. Bad idea. Just one look at her lips and those dark blue eyes flashed before his eyes. The scent of her smoothie breath would linger on his nose and…no don't go there. Naruto was his friend. His dear friend. A precious friend…who was really _attractive_.

A small yawn escaped from Naruto's lips and blond eyelashes flutters opened. In that moment, the morning sunlight grew even brighter, landing sharply over the girl's head and Shouto hitched his breath. Because Naruto looked pretty. No. Naruto had always been pretty. But with that sunlight hitting her like that…she looked beautiful. _Almost like an angel._ Except she was terrifying when angered.

Naruto looked left and right, rubbing her eye and letting out a tiny yawn. Blue eyes blinked and Shouto could stare at her opened mouth. Seconds passed before redness began to crept up on Naruto's face till the girl looked as bright as a firetruck. Mismatch eyes followed the redness that now spread to below her hospital gown, barely allowing him to know how far that redness would go.

_Why is this happening to me? Everything had been fine when she didn't kiss me._ He inhaled and exhaled, trying to push that one kiss in the back of his mind. Not the time nor the place. No, what they needed to talk about something more important.

"Naruto, we need to talk about what happened yesterday." Naruto eyed him, lips pressed into a thin line and blue eyes blazed with anger alongside another emotion that made him feel warm too. But the ferious anger told him that he needed to make things right with her. The three of them did. Whatever Naruto wanted, he would give it to her because…a furious Naruto was terrifying and not something he wanted to see.

"Are you going to apologize?" Her voice was low and calm but iciness colored her tone. He gazed into her eyes. _What would your sister say if you died? Or your older brother?_ The question echoed in his ears but the tears leaking out of her eyes stood out to him. Because Naruto was concerned that he would die. And he gave her a lot of shit about her dying on him.

He guessed in a situation like this…words were needed.

Taking a deep breath, Shouto gazed into her eyes. "I'm sorry for putting you through this, Naruto."

"You made me worry sick," Naruto grumbled under her breath, rubbing her eyes. The slight hitch in her tone made him wince because he really did not mean to put her in this condition. Blue eyes flickered to his arms and Shouto knitted his eyebrows, following her line of sight. He blinked. Oh the three new scars Stain given him. It was not even that bad, barely deep enough for anyone to see.

He flickered his eyes to Naruto. The blond-haired girl just stared at his arms with flushed red cheeks. He doesn't know how long she stared or how long he watched her but as time flew, Shouto would widen his lips slightly. It got larger and larger, the more and more Naruto grew red. He tore his attention away from the flushed cheeks to her lips.

The lips that felt a lot more softer than it looked. _Almost like silk._ That was the level of softness from her lips if he had to scale it. But maybe he was wrong. It could be slightly more rougher. He just stood there when Naruto kissed him, never having the chance to see what it felt like…

His mind should not go there.

Naruto cleared her throat and Shouto avoided her eyes, rubbing the back of his neck as heat flood all of his senses. He flickered his eyes to the only girl in the room. A smile played on her lips, blue eyes sparkled and only comfortable silence stood between them. He shifted to the side and pushed back what happened between them.

Not the time or place.

"What happened to you, Naruto? What did you do yesterday?"

Naruto flickered her eyes to the sleeping boys in his room. Her blue eyes flickered between the snoring boys before flickering back to him. She grimaced. "Follow me to my room…I don't want anyone to hear what I am going to tell you."

Shouto shifted his legs around as Naruto stood up from her seat. He could only blink as his mismatch eyes fixated on her swaying bottom before looking down at her toned legs. The hospital gown really seemed to highlight her figure. He gulped and followed behind her, making sure to close the door quietly.

It just took ten steps to go to Naruto's empty hospital room. There was a click and Shouto swirled his head to look at Naruto, who stood right in front of the door. He raised his eyebrow at her, earning a sigh from the blonde. "If I don't want anyone to hear then I need to lock the door."

"B-But we will be alone." Why was he squeaking? Maybe it was because he could see there was a bed right in front of them. No. It was because he recalled what happened in that book Naruto edited. They were alone in the room too. He furiously shook his head. This was Naruto and nothing was going to happen between them.

_She kissed you._

He was not going to think about this.

"Shouto? Are you listening?" Shouto shook his head and Naruto blinked, eyebrows knitted together. She pressed her lips into a very thin line and walked towards him. He took a step back and the blonde paused, looking at her hand reaching out to him. She grimaced and dropped her hand, shaking her head furiously.

"I was telling you that we found the kids," Naruto grinned with her blue eyes flaring up with life. She clapped her hands together before taking his hands, lips curled into an even larger smile and Shouto's lips twitched. Naruto blinked, looked down at their hands and yanked it away. "R-Right. We tracked those kids down into a warehouse in Hosu alongside the three shinobi."

"Did you get them out of there?" He looked down at Naruto. Even though it had been a couple of seconds since she let go of his hands, Naruto was still blushing as red as tomato. His friend snorted, looking at him like it might have been silly question to ask and maybe it was. Naruto wouldn't have come if she hadn't been able to save those kids.

"Of course we did," Naruto rubbed the back of her neck. "Gaara and me fought them as a way of distracting them while Uzushiokage and Hawks delivers those kids to the police."

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line as her blood stained shirt flashed before his eyes. "How did you get wounded?"

Naruto laughed and avoided looking into his eyes. "Shuriken but I'm fine now so you d…"

"Let me see for myself." When it came with Naruto, the girl could sometimes cover things up because she didn't want anyone to worry about her. The burden of knowing what her actions caused was proof of it. He gazed at her shoulders, lips pressed into a thin line before shifting his eyes to Naruto.

The blond-haired girl just stared at him with flushed cheeks. Shouto knitted his eyebrows and tilted his head. "What? I want to make sure you are as fine as you say you are."

"Maybe I was just imagining things," Naruto muttered under her breath as she placed her hand on the right shoulder sleeve. She lowered the sleeve of the hospital gown till her shoulder was exposed and Shouto gulped at the barest glimpse of her chest. He shook his head and walked closer to her, forcing his eyes to focus on her shoulders.

_How can she not have any scar on her shoulder?_ He frowned and placed his finger on her exposed shoulder, feeling for any scars. It was really smooth and soft, almost like satin alongside another scent that he could not identify. His finger trembled as Naruto shivered. The mismatch eyed boy looked at Naruto. His throat dried up at the sight of her darken blue eyes that seemed to look down at him. He doesn't know what that emotion was but it was not anger.

It was an emotion that made him worry if Nasruto looked down.

He yanked his hand away and cleared his throat. "I-I guess you are really fine."

"I told you I was fine," Naruto put the sleeve back on and stared at him. "I'm _strong_ and very capable of taking care of myself."

Shouto gazed at her shoulders before looking into the brightening eyes of Naruto. He inhaled and exhaled as he tried to think of what to ask of her. Because if anyone could help him then it was her. He doesn't know why but his tone was getting lower and husky. "I'm sure that you are capable, that you will even be a good teacher…"

Naruto gulped. "Shouto, where are you going with this?"

"I want you to help me improve my hand-to-hand combat."

There was no way he could allow the same thing from yesterday to repeat.

_Later he would ask her why she kissed him_.

* * *

"So you are allowed to go since Uzushiokage disguised himself as your Guardian with that jutsu of his."

Naruto bobbed her head, slumping her shoulders and smiled at the man. If Eisuke hadn't done it then she would have been forced to call in Jiraiya again. Not that it was a big problem but he was going to scold her for her actions. _No, you are more worried that he won't stop teasing you about Shouto._ She grimaced. She hated how that voice was right. Jiraiya would probably notice her feelings and she doesn't want any advice from him.

She was doing quite well if you asked her.

"I will be back to work as soon as my feet lands in the agency! If you want to reward me then ramen is the way to go," Naruto declared to Hawks. The man chuckled and bobbed his head, not looking one bit bothered that she was basically ordering for him to give her ramen. She blinked and looked at the hero. "If you are here then who is taking care of your hero agency?"

"I had Uzushiokage put a clone to disguise itself as me," Hawks stretched his back and let out a yawn. "I will be back there in an hour so no one would notice the little swap."

Naruto tilted her head. "Then why are you here?"

"Well I want to be here when the police talks to you about your actions yesterday," Hawks informed her. "We informed them that the injuries came from the ambush and rescue of those kids but well you did disobey orders. You were supposed to wait with Uzushiokage and Gaara but you ran off to fight Stain."

She folded her arms against her chest. "I didn't fight him. Can't I just go back to your agency and get scolded by you? I just want to have a relaxing day before I go back to school."

"Sorry but that is protocol," Hawks informed her. He ruffled her hair and the blond-haired girl scowled, not looking pleased that she was going to go through a round of scolding by the police. She wouldn't have run off if Midoriya hadn't sent the location to them. "You deal with the scolding and we will be on our merry way."

"You don't sound excited," Naruto said dryly to the man.

Hawks sighed and shrugged. "Well I have an interview to do alongside your cousin about those missing kids when all I want to do is just sleep more in my comfy bed. But since you are not an official hero and Gaara is not even a student…well we have to take the credit."

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the smiling hero. He looked out to the birds before twisting his head around to give her a thumbs up and a smile. She stared at the hero, chewing on the inner corner of her cheek to stop herself from asking him about whether or not he regretted taking the job. It really did look like that he had a lot of weight on his shoulders even though he was so young.

She shook her head and followed Hawks out of her room and into the room of her friends. Iida and Midoriya hung their shoulders at her as their eyes flashed with sincere regret. She waved it off. Now that Naruto did not have anymore concerns of those kids and her missing relative, well she could be just a little bit more forgiving towards them. Beside, she would milk up their regret.

That was how she did things.

She flickered her eyes to Shouto and stared at him for a good couple of seconds before looking away from him. Her friend just stared at the red shirt that seemed to be really hugging her figure. Was it a good idea for her to help him with hand to hand combat? Would she even be able to concentrate? Because what happened between them earlier had made her forget for just a brief moment about her idea of suppressing her emotions. _But Shouto doesn't look at me in that way so we are good._ Maybe her feelings would just die away.

She could hope for that outcome.

"Now that she is here, we can start with the second round of scolding." The old man, from yesterday, declared. Naruto blinked and swirled her head to look at the ancient man. He probably looked like he could be slightly older than the Third Hokage if he was still alive. She chewed on her bottom lip when the man eyed her hair and eye colour.

Why was everyone so interested with her coloring these days?

She shook her head and flickered her eyes to the man with the dog head. He really did not look familiar to her at all nor was the man wearing anything that indicated that he was a fellow hero. The only thing that the man had on to indicate that he was someone important was his black suit. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and looked to Shouto. "Who is he?"

"Head of the Hosu Police," Shouto answered quietly, looking her in the eye. "He scolded the three of us while Hawks brought you here."

Naruto bobbed her head and stared at the police officer. The man flickered his eyes from the winged hero and then to her, his eyes fixating on the new shirt that Hawks got for her from Eisuke's house. _It feels slightly snug._ She guessed Eisuke had to give Hawks, Akane's shirt since he couldn't break into her house.

The police officer looked at her. "I presume you are Uzumaki Naruto?"

The blond-haired girl bobbed her head and forced herself to keep her hands to her sides. The police officer gazed at her, looking almost taken back at the knowledge that she was a girl. What did he think she was? Didn't he watch the Sports Festival? It was clear that she was a girl. Okay maybe it was her name.

"Hawks and Uzushiokage informed us that the injuries you sustained came from helping those kids escape from their kidnappers," Naruto nodded and avoided looking at the surprised eyes of Midoriya and Iida. She pressed her lips into a very thin line and looked at the officer. "Since you were with the Heroes, your actions can be overlooked. However you disobeyed the orders of Hawks to get your injuries check over…instead you ran to help these three."

Naruto guessed that they needed to explain what happened and thought that this happened.

She doesn't really care.

"Are they okay?"

The police nodded and looked to Hawks. "The children and Uzumaki Tomoyo are doing well but are still facing the trauma of their kidnapping and has made no attempt to talk about it. However, the kidnappers had run away during Uzushiokage's transport to us. So we will be on a lookout for them."

_Uzushiokage and Hawks are really taking big risks by lying to them but we need lies to protect everyone._

She was just glad that it was all over because now her only concern for the next three years were going to be school.

_Weeks later, she learnt that there were another group of shinobis after her._

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the interactions between Hawks and Naruto?


	31. Chapter 30

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

Most people wouldn't decide to back to work the day after they came from their internship. But Naruto didn't have many things to do at home. Her house was clean. There was no homework to do and well she didn't want to do her training after the stress of the whole week. Right now, Naruto just wanted to have some form of normality in her life.

She looked out of the window with a tiny smile playing on her lips. Customers talked and chatted with the occasional giggle with her fellow waiters and waitresses. There was even a pile of dirty plates on the sink counter, looking just ready to be cleaned and soak into the warm water of the sink. Naruto waved her greeting as another waiter comes in with another pile of dirty plates.

"So Naruto, what was it like working with Hawks?" Naruto blinked and turned her body around, blinking at the sight of her smiling boss. The woman tied her apron, wrapped her hair around her scrunchie and put her hands on her hips as her eyes glinted with eagerness to know what happened in her one week.

Naruto just gazed at her boss, humming a little tune as various words came into her mind. Even after rescuing those kids and her potential relative, she still did her patrol with Hawks and the other sidekicks. She curled her lips into a smile and chuckled at the word that came to her mind. "Tiring."

"So it was exhausting." Her boss let out a little laugh and shook her head at Naruto. The blond-haired girl raised her eyebrows at the laughing boss, tilting her head and eyebrows knitted together. The woman shook her head. "Naruto, I have known you for the last three years and there is one thing I know about you is that you are a workaholic."

"I am not a workaholic!"

Her boss raised her eyebrow at her. "Sure you are not and I'm a fairy godmother."

Naruto scowled and the woman giggled, shaking her head at her. _I'm not a workaholic._ The blond-haired girl pouted, putting on her apron and walking out of the door and into the café. Plastering on a smile, Naruto waved and greeted the customers before making her way to the front of the entrance of the café. The smile faltered at the sight of Akane standing before her with her hands in her pockets.

_I doubt that your last name is even Uzumaki._ Naruto clenched her hands into a fist and grinded her teeth together. _Do what Hinata-chan will do. Keep your cool._ Inhaling and exhaling, the blond-haired girl schooled her expression into a bright smile. Akane flinched, looking around as her legs shifted back and forth.

"Hello Akane," Naruto tightened her smile and shoved away the memory from her mind. Her boss was watching them, head tilted to the side and eyes narrowing at them. _I must not show her that I want Akane out of this café. The customer is always right even if said customer is a bitch._ She pushed the corner of her lips even more and the red-haired girl chewed on her lips.

"Hello Naruto." Guilt and resignation colored Akane's tone as people looked at them. Naruto twisted her head around, waving them off and her colleagues nodded. Blue eyes returned back to the red-haired girl now staring at the various cakes and sweets on display.

Naruto bobbed her head and picked up the menu. "So what would you like to order?"

Akane shook her head and darted her eyes at the various customers that now stared at them. The red-haired girl shifted back and forth like a wave, slipping her hands into her pockets. "I came here to apologize."

Blue eyes widened and pink lips parted at those words as the word around her came to a stop. Naruto inhaled and exhaled, dropping her smile and pressing her lips into a very thin line. The blond-haired girl regarded her relative before flickering her eyes to her boss. Naruto held out her five fingers, earning a blink and a nod from her boss. Dropping the menu on the stand, Naruto followed Akane.

The two of them walked behind the café, ignoring the whispers of her fellow waiters and waitresses as they did so. Several people stopped, hands ready to take a photo but a glare from Akane and they immediately put their phones back before going their own merry way. The two of them stopped walking once they reached the alleyway, where there were only cats sleeping on the side.

Laughter and chatter danced from the streets to the alleyway as the bright sunlight shone beneath them, perhaps a hint to a better future if Naruto was the sentimental type. Naruto folded her arms against her chest and gazed at her relative. The red-haired girl took in several deep breaths, closing her eyes before opening them again.

"I took things too far when we met," Akane admitted. "I am sorry for saying all those things that I have said to you about denying you as an Uzumaki. I was jealous at the time, angry too because you were doing all the things that Pops never allowed us to do."

_Jealous?_ Naruto regarded her relative and slipped her hands into the pockets of her skirt as Akane stared at her. The young teen stared at her, almost hopeful that the blonde would just say something. The blue-eyed girl looked at her before looking up to the bright blue skies. The birds chirped, singing a beautiful song that could even make the strongest man cry, but not a single tear came out of her eye.

"Pops always told us that you are an Uzumaki when you know the basics of seals because that is what made our family so famous," Akane cleared her throat. "But you never used it in the Sports Festival. You just used ninjutsu and taijutsu."

"I don't know fuinjutsu." Naruto looked up at the sky, locking her eyes on the white clouds loitering around the sky without a care in the world. Akane cleared her throat and tugged her collar, fiddling with her hands before looking up at the clear blue sky with knitted eyebrows.

"Pops was willing to accept you even though you broke the rules that he set for us," Akane continued. "It wasn't fair that he put us through a lot of shit but was willing to accept you without a problem…all because you look like Kushina-obaachan."

Naruto regarded her relative. _I can't understand the frustration that they have._ She pulled her hands out of her pockets, blue eyes now fixated on the street signs from across the alley. She chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her eyes flickered back to the girl that now stared at her with hope.

"I wanted to hurt you because you ruined the lives that our clan worked so hard to build," Akane grimaced as blue eyes began to turn blank. "My family gave me shit about it and when I think about it, really think about it…I feel really guilty with myself for doing that to you. I mean you really didn't know what your actions would have caused and you fixed your mistake like you said you would."

The blond-haired girl just continued to regard her relative, mouth shut and eyes locked on her relative. Akane gulped and rubbed the back of her neck, green eyes locking onto the blonde. "I am trying to learn how to be compassionate and controlling my own temper; what I did wasn't really cool."

Naruto just nodded.

"Will you accept my apology?"

_I have to, don't I? You are my family and families forgive each other…don't they?_ Naruto inhaled and exhaled as her eyes fixated on her family member. But should she forgive her? It hurt. Even though the clan accepted her last name, Akane's words still stung. Her heart still ached and throbbed from those words. _If I say I forgive her…then I am lying._ She took a deep breath.

"I don't know," Naruto admitted. "What you said to me…it hurt me a lot. If I tell you that I accept and forgive you then I will be lying to you because I need time to move pass it. It has nothing to do with you. It is more to do with me…I need time to think, process things and deal with issues with myself."

Akane nodded and the blond-haired girl looked to the smiling parents and children. _Sasuke-kun, you don't say insults to your friends! And Naru-chan, we don't hit our friends even if they hurt our feelings._ She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply as her ribs stretched to the point that a crack echoed throughout the alley.

Was she doing the right thing by not forgiving her immediately? Naruto looked up to the sky and slid her hand back into her pocket, hovering over her phone. Shouto was probably the worst person to ask about this. He had his own issues with his father; he didn't need to hear this. Maybe she would talk about it during therapy.

Nodding her head, Naruto brushed passed Akane and began heading back to the cafe, only for the red-haired girl to grab her arm. The blue-eyed girl blinked, twisted her head around and raised her eyebrow. Akane dropped her hand, flushing a light shade of red before focusing on a boy with a bright smile playing on his lips. "Akira-sama wants to see you today at her home."

"Why?" Naruto tilted her head. "I thought I would only come back into contact with the clan when the head of your clan comes back…he isn't back, is he?"

Akane shook her head, handed her a piece of paper and locked eyes on her. "I'm just the messenger, Naruto. All I know is that Asa-ojisan and his family alongside Akira-sama wants to see you and your friend Gaara tonight."

_What on earth would they want with us?_

She could only hope that it was something good.

* * *

"Do you have any idea who we should give the fourth ticket to?"

Shouto stared at Midoriya before flickering his eyes down to the tickets that the police department had given them for defeating Stain. The birds chirped and the laughter of the children played throughout the park. Iida had already took his ticket and told them that they could decide on the owner of the fourth ticket, admitting he didn't think that he was the right person to choose. If you ask Shouto, none of them actually deserved their tickets when Naruto and her friend did something more amazing.

They found and got those kids out of a horrible situation.

"Don't you want to give the ticket to Uzumaki?" Shouto tore his eyes away from the smiling couple and looked at Midoriya. The green-haired boy just stared at him, frowning and eyebrows knitted together as several people slowed down, looking at him with wide eyes before going back on their merry way.

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck and sweat began to build around his palm. His heart raced, almost ready to burst out and the boy avoided those knowing green eyes of his friend. No words came out from his mouth and Shouto relaxed his shoulders as his heart began to slow down to its normal pace.

"Naruto has only one day off and it is usually on Sunday," Shouto leaned forward and stared at the smiling couple strolling ahead of them. Smiles decorated their faces as their hands brushed against each other and the mismatch boy looked away from them. "I visit my mother on that day."

Tomorrow he would make his way to the hospital and see his mother in that tiny room. Shouto hadn't told his mother about his friends or Naruto, maybe because he didn't want to make her sad. He didn't want to remind her of the fact that it would be hard, almost impossible for her to meet all of his friends. Maybe it would make her happy to know about them but Shouto doesn't want to make her sad.

"Why don't you ask her to take another day off?" Shouto blinked and swirled his head at Midoriya. The green-haired boy let out a nervous laugh before rubbing his chin and staring him right in the eye. "She would probably do it if _you_ ask her."

"Why?" Shouto stared at Midoriya with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. The mismatch boy just stared at the smiling couple before them as his throat dried up. Maybe it was just him but time seemed to have slowed down at the words spoken by his friend. What on Earth made Midoriya think Naruto would listen to him?

Midoriya blinked and shook his head. "Well you and Naruto are very close friends so it make sense that you are the best person to try and convince her to go out with us to the amusement park."

"I think she might still be a little bit angry with the three of us." He rubbed the back of his neck and winced as furious dark blue eyes flashed before him. _She might say that it is in the past but Naruto can't really forgive us for messing up._ Shouto pressed his lips into a very thin line.

"We can always say that it is our gift for her trying to come and rescue us."

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck and sweat began to build around his hand. _I would have to be the one to ask her._ His heart raced, beating against his ribcage wildly, and he gulped. Midoriya eyed him with lips pressed into a thin line and eyebrows knitted together. The boy hovered his hand over Shouto's shoulder.

"Todoroki-kun, is everything okay between you and Uzumaki?"

Taking a deep breath, Shouto gazed at Midoriya. He chewed on his bottom lip, rubbing the back of his neck and looking straight at the bright blue skies. Blond-hair and flushed cheeks flashed before his eyes. Pink lips pressing against his and Shouto flushed red. "Naruto kissed me a week ago."

"W-What?" Midoriya gawked with his cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. Shouto nodded, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding the blown-up eyes of his friend. He closed his eyes as dark blue eyes flashed before him alongside the scent of her banana smoothie drink.

"S-So are the two of you dating?"

Shouto frowned and shook his head. "We are friends and I'm fine with that…but I'm trying to figure out why she kissed me."

Midoriya just stared at him with wide eyes and a gawking mouth. Shouto just knitted his eyebrows, lips pressed into a thin line and his head tilted to the side. He slumped his shoulders and looked up to the bright blue skies, wishing for his friend to just tell him why he was so shocked by his questions.

"Todoroki-kun, have you ever stop to think that maybe Uzumaki has feelings for you?" Softness and hesitance colored Midoriya's tone as the boy placed his hands on top of Shouto's shoulder. The chirps of the bird seemed to slow down, no longer in its fast-pace beat, and the movement of the children seemed to still.

Shouto just regarded his friend and placed his hand over his scar. _He is starting to look more like him._ Shouto shook his head, taking several deep breaths before looking at the couples that held hands together. He tore his eyes away from the couple, looking at his frowning friend. Midoriya just knitted his eyebrows.

"Midoriya, why would she have feelings for me?" Shouto touched his scar and looked at the sky. "It just doesn't make sense."

Midoriya just stared at him and shook his head, slumping his shoulders at him. Shouto just watched as a couple strolled in with a baby stroller with their smiles decorating their faces. How could people be certain that they were going to be good parents? Or a good partner? He sighed and shook his head.

He would tell Naruto about the tickets tomorrow.

* * *

"So before Akira-sama wants to talk to Naruto, I want to give the both of you a gift," Tomoyo informed them as she ushered Naruto and Gaara into the dining room. Sitting in the dining room were Asa and his son, Haruto. The teen smiled, jumped off from his seat and hugged the two teens. Both teens blinked and stiffened at the sudden contact, earning a small giggle from Tomoyo.

Asa shook his head at the antics of his son.

"Thank you for saving my big sis," Haruto grinned at them. "Now I won't have to suffer another day of my father's terrible cooking."

Asa's eyebrows twitched while Tomoyo shook her head at her little brother. Both Gaara and Naruto glanced at each other with wide eyes before looking at the young woman. She hummed, bobbing her head to an imaginary beat as the fridge door flung open. _What was she doing?_ Naruto glanced at Haruto and Asa but the two men just shrugged their shoulders.

Five minutes later and Tomoyo came back with two square boxes wrapped in red wrapping paper with a bright yellow bow tied neatly around it. She placed the boxes right in front of them, a small smile decorating her face. Violet eyes shone with so much warmth and gratitude that Naruto felt her throat tightened. She glanced at Gaara and felt her lips twitched when the boy looked at the box with a wonder.

"What is this?" Gaara asked.

"Tomo-neechan delicious chocolate cake," Haruto licked his lips and eyed the box with longing before flickering his eyes to his older sister. Tomoyo sighed, rolling her eyes and looked at the two teens. _No one has ever baked me a cake before._ Naruto fingered the box, throat tightening as the gray-haired woman flashed them a smile. "Y'know she rarely makes it."

"Well someone keeps eating all the cake without leaving anything for the person that bakes it." Haruto let out a small laugh and rubbed the back of his neck while Asa shook his head at the antics of his two children. The man smiled before flickering his eyes to Naruto. The blond-haired girl just continued to stare at the box with wide eyes.

"I wish to apologize to you on the behalf of my brother and I." Naruto tore her eyes away from the box and blue eyes widened when the man went down on his knees with his forehead pressing against the floor. She swirled her head at Gaara but the boy just stared with wide eyes at the scene before them. "The both of us haven't treated you very well since we met you."

Naruto stared at the man with blue eyes that faded away. _It is still hard to believe that I really did have a mother._ She rubbed the back of her neck, shifting back and forth as Haruto and Tomoyo gawked at the sight before them. Finally, the blonde looked at the portrait that hung on the back of her dining table. "Your Clan Head basically called me a rude little shit."

"Kenji-niisan was never the type to show his emotions or make his feelings clear," Asa sighed and shook his head. "He just presumed you would be like Kushina and know when he was actually angry or when he was impressed by your guts. It takes real guts to try and order him around. Kenji-niisan respects people with guts."

Peach-coloured hands slipped into her pockets and blue eyes locked onto the violet eyes of the older man. "Were they close?"

"Kushina was like our little sister," Asa let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling with tired violet eyes. He curled his lips into a tiny smile. "If there was anyone who knew your mother better than Akira-obaachan then it would be Kenji-niisan."

Naruto frowned and pressed her lips into a very thin line. "If the three of you were like siblings then why did he treat me like I was the enemy? Why did he treat me so coldly?"

She hunched her shoulders and looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes as those furious hazel eyes flashed before her. _He threatened me to give him answers and made me believe that he would tell the truth to the government._ She grinded her teeth and clenched her hands into a tight fist.

"Naruto, Kenji-ojisan has to put on his clan head mask in front of people." Everyone swirled their heads at Tomoyo and the young woman flickered her eyes to the portrait that only contained a tree with various faces. "If he showed favoritism to you or lenience in front of the clan then they would think he didn't care about their own feelings."

"You should see Kenji-ojisan when he isn't in a meeting," Haruto rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "He just a big teddy bear."

Tomoyo raised her eyebrow at her brother. "Teddy bear? Do I need to check your brain again?"

"Okay…he has a bad temper." Haruto rubbed the back of his neck and flickered his eyes to the quiet blond-haired girl. Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and looked straight at the ceiling. The chandelier looked pretty with its bright yellow lights but it clashed with the image of a quaint little home.

"The bad temper is a trait that almost all members of this clan has." Naruto tore her eyes away from the chandelier as Akira walked into the dinning room. Haruto, Tomoyo and Asa bowed and the elderly woman nodded, waving for them to stand up. The elderly woman stopped right in front of Naruto and the blue-eyed girl looked down at the elder woman.

The woman folded her arms behind her back and bored her eyes right into Naruto's blue eyes. Despite the lack of smile on Akira's face, grief and sadness shone through her violet eyes. The woman unfolded her arms and raised only a single hand, hovering in front of Naruto's face. Longing shone through those eyes and the old woman shook her head, dropping her hands.

"I wish to talk to you in private, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and followed the elder woman, not looking back to see the reactions of Gaara or her other relatives. Pictures of various red-heads filled the corridors of the narrow hallway alongside various artefacts. Out of the various photos and artefacts, only one photo stood out to Naruto. It was the photo of a smiling fifteen-year-old girl with long bright red hair, violet eyes and a bright smile playing on her lips.

Akira slowed down, twisted her head around and a sad smile played on her lips at the sight of the photo. "Do you know who you are looking at, Naruto?"

Naruto shook her head. "I don't know this pretty girl."

"You should," The blond-haired girl blinked and the red-haired woman picked up the picture frame, violet eyes tracing the eyes and chin of the teenage girl. Akira clicked her heels and turned to the blonde, placing the photo onto Naruto's hand. The woman gently pushed the picture close to Naruto's heart. "That was the last photo I have of your mother when I went to Konoha to visit her."

Naruto blinked and looked down at the photo, throat tightening as her finger traced the eyebrows and the eyes of her teenage mother. _I think our eyes are the same shape and my face too._ Her throat tightened and she hugged the photo close to her heart. The elder woman closed her eyes. "What was she like…my mother?"

"She was a headstrong girl," Akira smiled and looked at Naruto. "And she can be so stubborn about everything. If your mother was set on something then she would do everything in her power to get it."

The blonde looked down at the photo of her mother. "Can I keep this?"

"Why do you think I gave it to you?" Naruto smiled and looked down at the photo as her fingers continued to trace the features of her mother. _I finally know what my Mum looks like._ The ache in her heart seemed to lessen, almost becoming more dull as she took in the beauty of her mother. _I must be a disappointment…I'm not as nearly as pretty as her._ She shook her head.

The two of them continued to walk through the hallway, only stopping when the elder woman turned to the right and unlocked the door. The door swung opened and Akira walked in, not bothering to check if Naruto was following her. The blond-haired girl clutched the photo close to her chest and shut the door behind her.

There were various characters and shapes decorating the room from the character of silence to circles and swirls that decorated the walls. Books as well as scrolls lined up on the bookshelves but what stood out to Naruto was the fact that there was a computer on the studytable. She just presumed that the old lady did not know how to work one.

Shaking her head, Naruto looked at the elder woman. "So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I want to tell you of how Kushina ended up becoming the Jinchuuriki," Akira took a seat on the floor and gestured for Naruto to sit right beside her. The teen bobbed her head and sat down right beside the woman, stiffening when the woman grabbed hold of the girl's hand. Wrinkly hands rubbed the smooth hands of Naruto.

"I want to tell you what made your great-grandfather choose Kushina out of all the members of this clan and the ways in which he tried to protect her from having the hardship you faced."

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think of this chapter? Of the whole story and the sequel in general? Is there anything that should be improved on? Do you wish to see the story through a series of flashbacks or would you like to see Akira telling the story?**


	32. Chapter 31

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"_I want to tell you what made your great-grandfather chose Kushina out of all the members of this clan and the ways in which he tried to protect her from having the hardship you faced."_

Naruto straightened her back and curled her lips into a frown, blue eyes fixated on the kind, sorrowful violet eyes of Akira. It almost escaped her mind the fact that it had been her mother who carried the Kyuubi before her. With all the things that have been happening, Naruto didn't have the time to process or think about the knowledge that her mother had been given the same burden as her.

"There were three reasons why your great-grandfather, the second Uzushiokage, chose Kushina out of everyone in this clan." Akira inhaled and exhaled, schooling her expression as blue eyes fixated on her. "One reason was because of your mother's talent in our chakra chains."

Blue eyes widened and Naruto exhaled. "What the hell is chakra chains?"

"It is a Hiden Technique that belongs to the Uzumaki Clan," Akira explained gently. She looked to the photos of the various members of the red-heads on the wall while Naruto looked down at the photo. "Now that I confirmed who your mother was, I will teach you on how to unlock the chakra chains."

The blue-eyed girl blinked. "Are you sure that I will be able to do it?"

"If your chakra is anything like your mother then you will take the jutsu very quickly," Akira answered softly. Naruto looked down at the photo of her mother, hunching her shoulders and tracing her mother's features. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds before straightening her back._ It is my birth right._ Naruto opened her eyes and looked at Akira.

Akira offered her a small smile and looked at the photo of Naruto's smiling mother. _When this old lady looks at me, does she see me? Or does she see my mother?_ Naruto inhaled and exhaled as the thought loomed over her head. This was not the time for her to think about this or have doubts. If someone was willing to teach her a clan technique then Naruto should take advantage of it.

"Why was her talent so important?"

Akira pressed her lips into a thin line and removed her wrinkly arms from Naruto's smooth hands. The old woman closed her eyes and took in one painful breath. "Because even for an ordinary Uzumaki, keeping the Kyuubi in check is a difficult task. Compared to everyone in the clan, your mother had a very unique and special chakra."

"What does her chakra have to do with the chakra chains?"

The old woman closed her eyes and looked up to the ceiling, letting out a sigh. "Our chakra chains are molded from our chakra and the more dense a person's chakra, the more powerful the chain can be. Your mother's chakra was so dense that it made her chains more powerful than the usual Uzumaki."

"So the Second Uzushiokage theorized that my mother could keep the Kyuubi in check?" Akira nodded and Naruto clenched her hands into a fist. _But he allowed her to suffer then! All because of one theory!_ She doesn't know what she wanted to do. A part of her wanted to yell at the ancient woman while another part of her just wanted to cry at the fact that her mother's talent had been her undoing.

"Your great-grandfather was always watching Kushina's progress with her chains," Akira flickered her eyes to the photo of an old man wearing an orange hat. Her lips curled into a frown. "He always made a point to check in on the progress of all the members of the clan learning this technique. It used to annoy the crap out of me because I was the one in charge, not him."

Naruto followed the woman's eyes and stared at the photo of the Second Uzushiokage, who had blank violet eyes and had his lips pressed into a thin line. _So that is my great-grandfather._ He looked like he could have been in his late sixties to early seventies but looking at Akira, she guessed her great-grandfather must have been a lot older.

"I used to sing praises about your mother's talent to him," Naruto blinked and looked at Akira. "Your mother might lose focus at times but compared to Kenji and the other kids at the time, Kushina was just so good at this Hiden technique."

The blue-eyed girl made no comment and hugged the photo closer to her chest, closing her blue eyes and blinking back the tears that threatened to pour out of her. She gulped down the lump in her throat, wishing and longing for a glass of water or anything really that could quench the dryness in her throat.

"Before he made that theory, did you ever recommend my mother to him?"

Akira blinked, pressed her lips into a very thin line and shook her head. "My brother left me in the dark until he told me that he had chosen Kushina to become the second Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi before our oldest sister dies from whatever sickness that plagued her."

Naruto frowned and hovered her hand over her seal, eyebrows knitted together at the knowledge. _How did her sister end up becoming the Jinchuuriki? Why has it always been a member of this clan?_ She knew from the meeting that only an Uzumaki can carry the Kyuubi but why were they so certain? Couldn't someone else from Konoha take this burden? Someone that had a family to take care of them.

Not a young foreigner that had to be ripped away from their home.

"I fought long and hard with my brother over sending her over there, but my brother had always been stubborn." Bitterness and anger coloured her tone as the woman eyed the photo of her older brother. "While he was always so busy running the village, I was the one taking care of your mother."

Naruto knitted her eyebrows. "What happened to my grandparents?"

Akira inhaled and exhaled, taking Naruto's hand and drawing circles and swirls around Naruto's hand. "Your grandparents died on a mission that went wrong. My brother had so much faith in his youngest son, believing that his wife and him could do the job without a problem."

Blue eyes looked down at the photo of her mother and the young girl exhaled, uncertain of what to say or do. _My mother must have been so sad._ She traced her mother's smile and exhaled, trying to calm down the swirling anger growing inside of her stomach.

"Why would he send an orphan there?" Naruto clenched her jaws together and closed her eyes, holding back the tears that threatened to come out from her anger. "Why did he send her away from her own family?"

The old woman closed her eyes and stared at the blond-haired girl. "Even though she had us, your mother was always grieving for her parents. Everywhere your mother looked, she would be reminded of her parents. Maybe in his own twisted way, my big brother thought Konoha would help her heal. He wanted Kushina to be the happy girl that she used to be."

Naruto growled. "But as a Jinchuuriki? The life of a Jinchuuriki is—"

"—Hard." Akira looked at Naruto and placed her hand on top of Naruto's shoulders. The old woman closed her eyes and exhaled. "I told him this. I hoped it would be enough to convince him to let Kushina stay here and grow up with us. My sister had been lucky that her fool of a husband kept her status a secret from the village."

Naruto looked at the old woman and frowned as the old woman kept rubbing her eyes. Tears almost seemed to leak out of her eyes and the blond-haired girl bit back the urge to wipe the tears away. No matter what happened, a part of her would always feel weary around this woman. If they knew her mother had been a jinchuuriki, then why had they never check up on her?

Why did they abandon her? If they loved her so much then why the hell would they do this to her? If he wanted to help her get back to normal then sending her to Konoha by herself had been the worst option.

"If he wanted her happy then making her a jinchuuriki was a stupid idea!" Naruto's nostrils flared and Akira exhaled, pressing her lips into a thin line. Akira ran her hand through Naruto's long hair, detangling the knots in Naruto's hair. The blonde moved the woman's hand away from her hair and grimaced. "Those villagers hate us! Hate people like us!"

"The Second Uzushiokage knew the risks and made a contract with the Third Hokage," Akira said, not looking one bit offended at Naruto's actions. "There were two conditions that he set in place for every jinchuuriki that either comes from Kushina's line or from our clan and if the Hokage broke these conditions…then Kushina or her descendants are given back to us."

Naruto straightened her back and narrowed her eyes. "Two conditions?"

Akira closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and bobbed her head. The woman did not open her eyes nor did her expression changed, which only made Naruto fidget and frowned. She twirled her hair around her finger, eyebrows knitted together and looked down at the photo of her smiling mother.

"What were those two conditions?" Naruto inhaled and looked away from the photo of her teenage mother, hugging it close to her chest. Her bright blue eyes darkened slightly and she took in a deep breath. The photo in her hand showed her mother having a real smile and the blonde wondered why she had to be so different.

"That the identity of the jinchuuriki will be kept a secret from everyone but the Hokage and anyone that the jinchuuriki will trust," Naruto blinked and Akira looked to the photo of the Second Uzushiokage. "If anyone knew what your mother contained then they—"

"—would have discriminated her and they will make her life like a living hell." Naruto closed her eyes and hunched her back. Even now she could still feel the lingering slap from the matron alongside the words and taunts of the villagers. _Why is she even still alive?_ If the Third Hokage kept it a secret then why was she so different? Why did the Fourth Hokage break the conditions? Her life had been crap.

She could have lived a normal and happy life.

"They broke the conditions with you," Akira grinded her teeth and shook her head. "And if I know Kenji as well as I do then he is going to start making demands since the Second Uzushiokage informed him of the conditions when he sent Kushina there."

Naruto blinked and pressed her lips. _This would never make up for what they did to her…or to me. In a way they abandoned me._ She hunched her back, cradled her legs and moved her body away when the woman tried to hug her. She doesn't want comfort or anything. Would an apology make up for what they did? She doesn't know. They hadn't apologize and the word _sorry_ would never make up for what they did.

Her mother died and Naruto had been through hell from the moment of her birth.

"What was the second condition?"

"That your mother and her descendants are treated with equal respect to all of the shinobi clans," Akira stared at the young teen with a small frown. "Foreigners aren't treated well in any country but we hold a special right in Konoha. Just as the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan made Konoha possible, our clan provided the funds to make Konoha possible. The village wouldn't be the way it is without our help."

Naruto just stared at the old woman. So many emotions crashed and clamored together inside her heart and Naruto had to bite her tongue from saying anything hurtful. _Control yourself. You aren't 12._ She inhaled and exhaled, only to feel her heart clenching together.

She couldn't stay in this house without losing herself.

"Thank you for giving me answers," Naruto whispered, clutching the photo close to her chest. "But nothing could ever make up for what you and the other members of this clan did. I'm willing to get to know the clan but…you abandoned my mother. Not once have you check up on her and I don't know if _I_ can forgive this. You never stopped to think if she had a child and what her child went through."

"Naruto, we had our—"

Naruto didn't bother to hear her words, choosing instead to run out of the house without even saying a goodbye to Asa and his family or telling Gaara that it was time to go.

She just wanted to be alone.

* * *

It was nighttime and there was not a single person in the streets as Bakugou jogged through the streets. _The damn Lizard was fucking right about Best Jeanist._ He clenched his jaws and sprinted, wind slapping his cheeks and his whole body tensing up as the experience of his internship washed over him. It had been only a few days and even now, his hair was still in the same hairstyle that Best Jeanist forced upon him.

The buildings around him seemed to separate as his red eyes made out a figure with hunched shoulders, dragging their feet through the streets. _I can't even jump over them without using my Quirk._ There were some insane people at night, always speeding through without a care in the world. This left him no choice but to run on the damn streets.

He blinked as bright blond hair became even clearer underneath the street lights. _Leave it to Whiskers to ruin my run._ Bakugou growled but paused at the sight of Naruto clutching a picture fame so tightly with her hand. He clenched his jaws, slipped his hands through his pants and narrowed his eyes.

What he did next had nothing to do with Uzumaki but because of his boredom. He didn't give a shit about a girl that could literally make a grown man cry from her punch.

"Whiskers!" Naruto stiffened, tightened her grip on the phot and swirled her head around. Blank blue eyes stared back at him and maybe if Bakugou was stupid or the unobservant type then he would think Whiskers was fine. But her blue eyes had some hints of redness and there was just a little bit of snot coming out of her nose…like she had been crying. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Taking a damn walk, asshole!" Naruto scowled and Bakugou almost relaxed, only to catch himself. The blond-haired girl raised her eyebrow, shaking her head and looking down at the photo in her hand. Bakugou eyed the photo before slipping his hands right into his pockets and looking straight to the sky.

"Looks more like a pity party." Blond eyebrows twitched and bright blue eyes flared with annoyance. Bakugou snorted when the girl held up her middle finger at him. _Her glares holds less bite tonight._ He grimaced and closed his eyes, wishing not for the first time in his life that it was Deku that was out for a run. The emotional crap was something Deku was good at, but Bakugou would rather die than admit it to anyone.

"Did something happen between you and Half and Half Bastard?"

It was the only explanation when he considered their relationship.

Naruto snorted and gazed at him with raised eyebrows, not looking one bit amused at his words. Bakugou scowled and knitted his eyebrows. _It is the only explanation for her shitty mood._ Only Half and Half Bastard could get some emotions out of Whiskers, so it wasn't a stretch to think that the bastard messed up. _He probably said something to upset her; bastard doesn't even know what his words can sound like to people._

"Shouto hadn't done anything! And don't call him that!" Naruto narrowed her eyes and looked at the photo in her hand before flickering her eyes to him. She looked up at the twinkling night sky, lips pressed into a very thin line as Bakugou gazed at the girl with raised eyebrows.

He just shook his head, curling his lips into an ugly scowl, and stared at his classmate. _Something has definitely changed between them if she is using his first name._ It didn't even matter to him. Bakugou darted his eyes to the photo that his classmate kept clutching in her hand.

It was a photo of a very pretty red-haired girl that looked too much like his female classmate. _They have the same eye shape, face shape and even their hair type is the same._ He guessed this must be her mother or some kind of relative. Bakugou flickered his eyes to the blond-haired girl, who darted her eyes from the photo to him. Naruto sighed.

"She was my mother," Naruto looked down at her photo and gulped down a lump. "I found her relatives a couple of days ago and well…this is the first photo I have of her. I spent nearly thirteen years wondering what she looks like…and now I know."

Bakugou rubbed the back of his neck as Naruto looked down at the photo of her mother, her finger tracing the image of her mother. Blue eyes screamed of grief as a tear nearly dropped down from her eyes, but Whiskers just straightened her back and rubbed her eye, straightening her wobbling lip.

"I don't want to listen to this crap!" His classmate stared at him and curled her lips as the grief seemed to slowly to disappear. "Talk about this crap with Deku or even Half and Half Bastard."

"Then don't jump to conclusions, Explosive Head!" He bristled as the blond-haired girl looked up to the twinkling night sky. She held her hand out, curled her lips into a tiny but almost unnoticeable smile. "Worry about me and I will tell ya shit because that's what friends do."

Bakugou blinked and then scowled. "I don't fucking remember calling you a friend!"

"Well as long as I consider you a friend then you're my friend!"

"That isn't how this shit works!"

Naruto snorted and grinned while Bakugou scowled, almost pouting at the declaration of what his classmate had declared. If there was one thing that annoyed him then it was the fact when someone jumped to conclusion. They were not friends and that was final.

Neither Naruto nor Bakugou noticed a pair of brown eyes watching them with a frown on his face.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. **


	33. Chapter 32

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_Naruto-chan, what happened today in class? Are you struggling with the clone jutsu? Or are you faking it like the henge jutsu?" _

Naruto blinked and stopped in her steps, blinking at her blue-haired friend. Hinata chewed her lips and fiddled with her fingers as the students walked passed them with their noses held up high. Her friend inhaled and exhaled before straightening her back at her.

The blond-haired girl sighed and slipped her hands out of her pockets. She linked her arms around Hinata's arm, bringing the girl closer to her as the various students glared at them. Sometimes Naruto felt guilty for putting her best friend in this situation. Maybe if they weren't close friends then no one would glare at Hinata-chan but Naruto was selfish.

She could never bring herself to cut their friendship, not when Hinata-chan was the only person now that she could trust with her secrets.

"_The clone jutsu is a real pain in the neck,"_ Naruto scowled when one of the civilian boys pulled down their eyelid with their pinky and stuck their tongue out at her. _Wait tomorrow and I'll get pay back._ She gave them the middle finger, ignoring the disapproving look from Hinata. "_I can usually get a jutsu right after my second or third go after I practice in my apartment, but not this time."_

Hinata frowned and knitted her eyebrows together. "_But why? The Bunshin jutsu needs less chakra than the Henge and Kawarimi. You can do those two jutsu without any problem._"

"_I don't know, Hinata-chan."_ Naruto clenched her hands into a fist and slumped her shoulders. _Naruto can't even do a simple Bunshin Jutsu. Why is she even in the Academy?_ She heard the teachers talking about it while she was on her way to the bathroom during Iruka-sensei's class. "_I don't know why I'm even in the Academy. Maybe all my boasts are for nothing…maybe I'm weak as they say."_

Silence hung between them with only the giggles and chatter of their fellow students filling the playground. Naruto sighed and looked up at the clear blue sky and the floating white clouds. It wasn't like her to have doubts but their teacher's words made her stomach roll. Her left arm suddenly felt lighter, forcing Naruto to look away from the sky to Hinata.

The Hyuga Heiress frowned and slapped her hands on her hips, lilac eyes filled with anger and sadness. _It was funny whenever someone calls Hinata-chan weak because…Hinata-chan was a powerhouse that was just waiting to be released._ Naruto blinked as her friend schooled her expression.

"_You are anything but weak, Naruto-chan!"_ Hinata hunched her shoulders. "_I-If anyone is weak then I'm the weak one."_

Blue eyes widened at those words and Naruto shook her head. It was not that she didn't believe in Hinata-chan words but because _Hinata-chan was amazing._ Sure Hinata-chan wasn't the best in ninjutsu or genjutsu, but no one could beat Hinata in taijutsu if her friend just stopped hesitating in her attacks. No one could deal with the shit that she dealt with. Naruto understood better than their classmates of the hell that Hinata goes through everyday.

"_You are anything but weak, Hinata-chan! I think that you are incredible 'cuz I won't be able to deal with the shit you go through!"_ Hinata blinked as Naruto grinned at her best friend. Her blue eyes shifted to the running students and her eyes stopped at the sight of a hunched up Sasuke. Her heart ached slightly and blue eyes locked on the longing in his eyes to join them.

Just like her and Hinata, Sasuke was facing loneliness. She itched to drag him to them, having their usual conversations and for him to argue with her. _They __**weren't**__ your family._ It had been a week since he uttered those words but those words were like arrows, piercing through her heart at the reminder of her lack of family. She forgave him like she always did but not enough to hang out with him.

In a way, she wanted to show him that she didn't need his friendship to survive…that she was capable of standing on her own two feet. Maybe Naruto wanted him to toss the ball into her court for once. It was always her chasing after him, trying to fix their spats because she didn't want to lose her first friend.

She doesn't know why she didn't just drag him towards them.

_She just knows that she regrets it when he leaves Konoha to go to Orochimaru. Sometimes Naruto thinks if she made it clear that he had family in her then he would stay. But then if Sakura hadn't been enough to convince him, then how could she have convince him with her words?_

"_You are stronger than you think, Hinata-chan!"_ Naruto beamed, blue eyes twinkling, and tore her eyes away from Sasuke to look at Hinata. Her friend stared at Sasuke and then to her with sad eyes. Naruto smiled even wider. "_You are like a panda: cute but so dangerous!"_

Hinata blinked. "_N-Naruto-chan?"_

"_You need to stop believing what your clan tells you because I believe in you!"_ Naruto continued, blue eyes locking on her friend. Her best friend just stared at her and the eight-year-old beamed at her friend. "_I know you can be an amazing kunoichi! Hell, you are capable of beating Ino out of the Top Kunoichi Spot!"_

If Naruto was honest, she wanted Hinata to get the title that she deserved. Ino was smart, there was no denying it, but Hinata was just as smart as Ino. Her friend worked hard, always pushing herself to the limit, but when it came to the exams then her best friend would just freeze.

She blamed the Hyuga Clan for this and a part of her would always hope that if she praised Hinata-chan enough then her best friend would get her confidence again.

"_You know Naruto-chan, you are really like my Guardian Angel."_ Naruto blinked and Hinata smiled. Her lilac eyes locked onto Naruto's eyes and Naruto felt her throat tightened at the comparison. _Because only her best friend doesn't see her as a monster._ "_You are always there protecting me from my negative thoughts or from my family."_

Naruto felt her throat burned at those words and she rubbed her eyes, stopping her tears from flowing out of her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled, forcing a smile to play on her lips. "_Don't let Iruka-sensei or the other teachers hear you say this! I'm no angel!"_

_Years later when it came to choose her hero name, Naruto thinks of Hinata's words because it was Hinata that always saw the good in her._

* * *

Bright yellow roses decorated the pedestrian path leading to the main school building, signalling that May was soon going to be over and June would take its place. Naruto doesn't know how she felt about it. June was a good month, a nice month but she hated July. July was the month when Mikoto-obaachan was murdered but also the month of Sasuke's birthday.

Thankfully school would be over before the 29th of July, leaving her the chance to just send a clone to work while she thinks of how to honour Mikoto-obaachan on that day.

"Naruto." The blond-haired girl blinked and tore her eyes away from the yellow roses as a large hand reached out for her wrist. Clicking her heels together, Naruto stared with wide eyes at the sight of Shouto standing before her. He looked down at her blue eyes while her eyes flickered to his jacket. Did his scars fade away? It had been so faint when she left him on Thursday.

She nibbled her bottom lip and gazed into his mismatch eyes. _It is funny when I think about it, when school started…I hated his eyes._ But it was different now. His eyes didn't seem to hold any coldness. They were so warm now, blazing at times whenever the two of them were alone and sometimes the intensity in his eyes made her think he could burn her with just looking at her. His eyes were filled with so much kindness.

Out of all the features that her friend had, she adored his eyes.

_I can't think like that when it comes to my friend._ She shook her head as Shouto continued to stare at her. Her cheeks flushed red as the memory of her kissing him on his scar flash before her eyes. Her lips against his played soon after and all Naruto wanted to do was groan. What she felt was wrong. It was even more wrong when she considered how much she wanted to kiss him in the hospital.

His finger felt wonderful on her shoulder.

Naruto shook her head and looked down at her wrist. Shouto's large hand still seemed to cover it, filling her hand with so much shimmering heat that the blonde could not stop herself from shivering. It wasn't bad if you asked her. _It feels too good._ She chewed on her bottom lip and Shouto gazed at her lip with darken eyes.

She gulped and cleared her throat. "S-Shouto, you are still holding my hand."

Shouto blinked and looked down at his left hand, eyes widening at the action before releasing his hand from her grip. Naruto curled her lips into a tiny smile as redness crept up on her friend's face. _I wonder how red he would get if I tease him._ She felt heat creeping up on her face at the thought as Shouto avoided looking at her eyes. _Friends don't think of their friends in that way._ There had to be a way for her to drill this thought into her brain.

"So h-how are you?" Shouto cleared his throat even though the high squeak could be heard in his tone. Naruto chewed on her lips, stopping herself from chuckling at his tone. Adorable was what she would describe a flustered Todoroki Shouto alongside another couple of words that she doesn't think a friend should think about. Her smile faded as her mind finally processed what he just said.

_I feel like absolute crap whenever I think of how much suffering I went through, because my clan abandoned me._ The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to be spilled but then something stopped her. Maybe she didn't want to worry him or maybe because Shouto had a lot of crap on his plate. But most likely, she doesn't want him to know about the Kyuubi.

She couldn't tell him because _what if he abandoned her for carrying a monster?_

"I'm doing amazing!" She smiled as wide as her lips would let her and prayed to God that Shouto would believe her. Just for once since she know Shouto, could he just look shallowly at her smile and believe the words coming from her mouth. For once, could he not push her into telling him the truth. Just this once, she didn't want to open up to him.

But this was Shouto and he was different from most of the people she knew in Konoha.

"Naruto, I thought we don't keep anymore secrets from each other." Shouto frowned and tilted her head up, forcing her to see the concern in his eyes. _ I have only two more secrets that I'm keeping and I can't tell you._ She doesn't want to burden him with the Kyuubi or know about how much her life would have been easier if the Hokage kept to the conditions made by her great-grandfather. He didn't need to hear it.

"_Liar, Liar, pants on fire!"_ a childish voice yelled at her. "_You are scared of what you will do if he doesn't judge you for your burden."_

More kisses flashed before her eyes alongside her holding his hand. The sight of her sleeping on his lap and her hand combing through his smooth hair. Naruto gulped and shook her head. No, she doesn't want Shouto in that way. She doesn't like him in that way. Friendship was good. It was safe between them…and she would know if she had feelings for him.

"I can't talk about it," Naruto declared, shoving her hands into her skirt's pocket. Shouto frowned but no words came from his mouth. Maybe God was listening and today would be the day that her friend wouldn't question her about it.

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line. "We can talk about it later."

Naruto blinked and opened her mouth to protest, only to close it when her eyes noticed how Shouto had his right hand hiding behind his back. Tilting her head, the blonde furrowed her eyebrows at his hands and she chewed on her bottom lip. "What do you have behind your back?"

Shouto blinked, looked at his right hand before rubbing the back of his neck. "I got a ticket to an amusement park for you."

"For me?" He bobbed his head and Naruto stared at the ticket. She chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her stomach did somersaults. She shouldn't even feel happy. It wasn't even like Shouto said that it was a date or anything. Beside, if it was a date then she would turn it down because they were friends.

Going on a date meant telling him about the Kyuubi and she doesn't want to lose him.

"Y-You are not asking me out on a date, are you?" She shifted back and forth as she tried to push down the growing heat in her body. Shouto blinked and looked down at her, mismatch eyes locking eyes on her and he shook his head. She almost hunched her shoulders and tilted her head down as the somersaults died down in her stomach.

"The police gave Midoriya, Iida and me four tickets for the amusement park since we defeated Stain," Shouto explained. "And Midoriya and I came into agreement that you should take the ticket."

Naruto looked at the ticket and smiled. She tucked a strand of her hair back and took the offered ticket from his hand, fingers playing with his hand as she took the ticket from him. Shouto gazed down at her, his mismatch eyes tracing every feature on her face, and he blinked his eyes. "She looks really pretty today."

"S-Shouto?" She flushed a bright shade of red as mismatch eyes widened. He rubbed the back of his neck as he schooled his expression, not revealing his emotions to her. The only indication of his feelings was the slight redness around his cheeks, which made Naruto smile slightly as her eyes locked onto him.

She doesn't understand why Shouto thinks she was pretty. Maybe her hair was her nicest feature now but her eyes were nothing special. The whisker marks on her face highlighted the fact she shared a womb with the Kyuubi and made her look like an ugly fox. So there was nothing about her that was really pretty.

"So when do you guys plan to go?" Naruto asked, shaking her head at her thoughts.

"This Saturday," Shouto answered immediately. His mismatch eyes locked onto her and maybe it was her imagination but Naruto thinks he was pleading for her to go with him and not to leave him alone with them. _Am I willing to give up my Saturday shift to go with them?_ Well she had never went to the amusement park before, and Aizawa-sensei seemed to believe her trust issues meant that she doesn't have many friends.

Friends did spend time with each other and she considered both Midoriya and Shouto to be her friends.

Yeah, her boss could understand.

"I will find someone to switch with me."

For the first time in her life, Naruto was going to do something that all of the other kids could do.

* * *

"All of you should have learnt a lot about yourselves during your time in your internships."

Naruto bobbed her head as Aizawa's eyes swept over the students in Class 1A. His eyes lingered the most on the blond-haired girl and he relaxed his shoulders when the girl flashed him a smile. If you asked her about whether or not she learnt a lot from Hawks, then she did. Her motivations of becoming a hero had been realized because Hawks had been able to point it out to her. She flickered her eyes to Tokoyami, who nodded his head at her.

Was her classmate a little bit hurt that he hadn't been able to come on the mission with them?

"Since the internships are over, it is time for all of you to take the first steps of becoming a Hero." The students blinked and straightened their backs, eyebrows knitted together as Aizawa stared at them. "It is time for all of you to pick your Hero names."

Naruto slumped her shoulders while the rest of her classmates broke out in cheers at this announcement. _Hero name?_ It was going to happen eventually but she just presumed that the name would be important in their second year of school. She nibbled her lip. What was her hero name going to be? She never stopped to think about it.

The blond-haired girl shuffled her chair closer to Shouto, earning a raised eyebrow from him. "Have you thought about your Hero Name before?"

Shouto shook his head and slumped his shoulders as his eyebrows knitted together. _I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that is at loss at what my hero name should be._ She leaned her head back and sighed. From in front of her, Mina seemed to be bouncing in her seat as she chatted to their classmates about what they planned as their hero name.

"The names are only temporary, but you still want to pick something appropriate," Aizawa scanned the classroom and focused on her. She nodded and relaxed her shoulders. "But if you aren't serious about it—"

"You will know true hell later."

The door to their classroom slip open with a clatter, forcing the students to look to the side of the classroom. Midnight strutted proudly into the classroom with a wink, both hands placed behind her head as she made her way to the podium. "The name you pick now may be what the world will end up calling you."

"Take that into consideration," Aizawa let out a yawn and began to slid himself into his sleeping back, rolling himself to the side. "Midnight will assess whether your hero names are suitable or not since I'm no good with this kind of thing."

_I had some idea from your name._ Naruto sighed and glanced out to the window, where the birds chirped and the sun shone through the windows. Her lips curled into a smile as the words and the laughter of her childhood echoed in her ears. A hazy memory flashed before her eyes. Her hands clasped around Hinata's hands as Sasuke tried to chase them, scowling at the fact she tagged him.

Aizawa let out a small yawn and turned to look at them. "For those of you that can't think of a name then I want you to consider of the type of future that you see for yourself. The name you choose will cement a certain image that you want for yourself because your hero name can reflect your true character."

Naruto pushed her tongue against her cheek as Mina handed her a board and a marker with a smile. _What name should I go for? Hokage?_ No, the name brought more pain than she could handle. The Hokage broke the conditions set upon by her great-grandfather, leaving her to deal with so many cold eyes. No one really helped her. _Maelstorm?_ No. It sounds powerful but it doesn't convey what her goal was as a hero.

She wanted a name that represented her.

"We can start when the first person is ready."

Naruto undid her ponytail and ran her hand through her hair, eyebrows knitted together. _What the hell do I write? What represents me?_ She chewed the inner corner of her cheeks as Aoyama walked up to the podium with his back straight and a confident smile playing on his lips. Everyone began to whisper as the boy took his spot in the podium.

"Here I go," Aoyama inhaled and flipped his whiteboard. "Shining Hero: I cannot stop twinkling!"

Naruto slammed her head on the table and swirled her head to her friend. "Are you fucking kidding me? We need to write a whole sentence!"

Shouto curled his lips into a tiny smile and the blond-haired girl blinked, cheeks growing even redder at the sight of his smile. From across them, Yaoyorozu sighed and giggled at the interactions of the two teens and Naruto schooled her facial features, shaking her head at whatever conclusions that her classmate was thinking about them.

"I think it is just him," Shouto finally said as his eyes fixated on her hair.

Naruto relaxed her shoulders and leaned her body closer to him as Shouto inhaled her scent. She flickered her eyes down to the blank whiteboard before him and frowned. "You haven't thought of a hero name?"

Silence hung between them and Naruto puffed her cheeks, lips curled into a frown at the lack of answer. Taking a deep breath, she poked against the ribs and her friend blinked, flushing a lighter shade of red. She grinned as Shouto furiously shook his head. Yaoyorozu curled her lips into a tiny smile and shook her head, looking faintly amused at the interaction between them.

"What did you say, Naruto?"

Naruto frowned. "I said you haven't thought of a hero name?"

"It is difficult," Shouto admitted.

The blonde bobbed her head, rubbed the back of her neck and chewed on her bottom lip. "Why don't you go with your first name?"

He raised his eyebrow at her, looking taken back at her suggestion, and Naruto rubbed the back of her neck. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as her mind tried to process how to explain her reasoning for his first name. "Well your name has the characters for freezing and burning so that could work. Or you could be Thermos…cause you can control the temperature in your body."

Shouto nodded and rubbed his chin as Ashido swirled her body around. The pink-skinned girl curled her lips into a bright smile, golden eyes twinkling at the sight of Naruto and Shouto sitting closer together. Dread crept up onto her stomach at the knowing and scheming twinkle from her classmate. _I shouldn't be scared. _She nodded. _I have no feelings for her to tease me about._ She was fine.

Ashido flickered her eyes down to the empty whiteboard on Naruto's table. "You haven't thought of a name, Uzumaki?"

"My mind can't think of one for myself." Naruto slumped her shoulders, head hanging down at the reminder. She could make names, the move that she made during the Chunin Exam was proof of it, but there was something terrifying about making her own hero name.

"How about Foxy? Or Vixen?" Ashido tilted her head and looked down at her whiteboard. "It is kid-friendly and you look like a fox!"

Naruto touched her whisker marks as furious red eyes flashed before her. _I suppose I can't kill you, can I? After all if __**you**__ die, __**I**__ will be forced to reform and I don't want that. But your courage is impressive, little girl and as a reward for making it this far, I will loan you my chakra._ The blond-haired girl shook her head. That was a name that she would never allow herself to take a name associated with the monster inside of her.

_You know Naruto-chan, you are really like my Guardian Angel._

The words of the past echoed in her ear and Naruto gulped as Hinata's smiling face flashed before her eyes. _That could be my name._ She opened the whiteboard marker and began to scribble down the name that felt like would represent her. This would be the name that would represent her. A name that linked her to the friend that always stuck by her side.

"Who wants to go next?" Midnight asked, eyes sweeping through the various students that still haven't gone forward with their hero name. Naruto took a deep breath, grabbed her own whiteboard and made her way to the front of the podium. Several eyes locked on her, burning with curiosity at what she was going to announce.

Naruto steadied her hands and locked eyes on her empty seat. For a brief moment, she saw her three-year-old self sitting in her seat with eyes filled with so much grief and anger. Her cheek stung as it always did whenever Naruto recalled what the matron did to her. _I am better than this._ She exhaled.

"Growing up, I didn't have a lot of people protecting me," Everyone blinked and Naruto looked down at her Hero name before flickering her eyes to her sleeping teacher. She curled her lips into a smile. "I want to become a hero that protects everyone but especially little kids. I want to become the hero that the orphan inside of me never got."

_The hero that abused kids never got._

She could never utter those words to them.

_You are always there protecting me from my negative thoughts or from my family._

Naruto gripped the board tight and flipped it up for everyone to see.

"The Hero Of Protection," Naruto declared. "Guardian."

She was going to be the kind of hero that protected everyone, not just her precious people.

* * *

"Naru-chan!"

Naruto stiffened at the nickname. _I allow her to call me that and I need to learn to associate it with something good._ She forced herself to smile as Nejire tackled her, thin arms wrapping itself around Naruto's back. Despite the fact the blond-haired girl was now used to her friend hugging her out of the blue, Naruto still had to force herself to relax into the hug. The blond-haired girl pat Nejire's back, hoping it would be enough to convince her to let go of her.

It was not enough.

"How are you, Naru-chan?" Nejire grinned and let go of Naruto as she bounced in her spot. "It feels like I haven't seen you in ages! How was your internship with Hawks?"

The world around her seemed to turn around as more and more questions seemed to flow out of her senior's mouth. Her head throbbed as Mirio and Amajiki walks behind her. She opened her mouth, silently begging them to help her, and Amajiki sighed. She relaxed her shoulders when the older boy put his hand on top of Nejire's head, who looked up and pouted. The boy chuckled and the blonde looked to Mirio.

"I'm doing good, Nejire." Naruto relaxed her shoulders and grinned. "My internship was great; Hawks was an amazing mentor."

Nejire beamed and launched herself at Naruto, rubbing her cheeks against the blond-haired girl. Naruto chuckled and patted her friend's hair. Sometimes a part of her wondered if she had an older sister then would she react like this? She doesn't know but the blond-haired girl would admit that Nejire had grown on her.

"Why do you always hug me, Nejire?"

Nejire giggled. "Because you just look so cute!"

Naruto blinked and blinked as her senior grinned at her. Her heart clenched at the compliment and the blue-eyed girl flickered her eyes to the sky. So many people flattered her when it came to her looks but she still found it hard to believe. Was it because of her childhood? Or was it now because of her mother? She shook her head and looked at Tamaki.

The boy blinked and flushed a light shade of red. _Was he sick again?_ She flickered her eyes to Nejire and her senior smiled softly, shaking her head at her crush. _Does she know why he was so red?_ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip. She shook her head. This was none of her business. In fact, she only had one thing to tell her senior.

Because when Naruto looked back on it, it was Amajiki who helped her the most to find who she really was as a hero.

"Thank you, Amajiki-senpai!" Tamaki blinked and knitted his eyebrows as the blond-haired girl flashed him a smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at him, earning raised eyebrows from everyone. "If it wasn't for you then I would have never thought about going to Hawks. He helped me figure out my motivations of being a hero and in a way, you catalyzed it."

Amajiki curled his lips into a smile and placed his hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair. For a brief moment, Naruto forgot that the boy standing before her was her senior. Instead she saw Sasuke, but not the Sasuke that left the village. She saw the Sasuke that he could have been if Mikoto hadn't been murdered. Maybe that was why she smiled…or maybe it was because she thinks she found another older brother figure in him.

Her smile faded when a wave of jealously washed over her. Curling her lips into a frown, Naruto clicked her heels and looked in front of them, blinking her eyes at the sight of Shouto standing before them. His expression was completely blank but a quick glance to his hands and Naruto could see his hands were clenched. _Why is he jealous?_ They were friends and that was it.

She sighed and looked at her seniors. "Sorry but I need to talk to Shouto about something."

Nejire blinked and flickered her eyes from the blond-haired girl to the mismatch boy. The periwrinkled girl nodded, lips curled into a small but sad smile as Naruto put her hands into her skirt pockets. Nejire turned to Tamaki, lips curled into a frown. Her eyes fixated on Naruto's back.

"You are going to lose her if you don't confess to her."

Naruto paused mid step and knitted her eyebrows together as Nejire's words floated into her ear.

"I never had her, Hadou."

Curling her lips into a frown, Naruto clicked her heels together and turned around to look at her senior. Tamaki, Nejire and Mirio smiled, waving their hands at her but the blue-eyed girl focused her eyes on the boy that helped her figure out her internship. Sadness and understanding leaked through his eyes and Naruto only had one thought.

_Why was Amajiki so sad?_

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the friendship between Hinata and Naruto as seen through the flashbacks. What do you think of the whole story in general? **


	34. Chapter 33

**A/N: **I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"How are you, Uzumaki? It has been a long time since we saw each other."

Naruto looked down at the poker cards and schooled her expression, not revealing her despair at the cards right in front of her hands. Crap. That would be her answer. The blue-eyed girl inhaled and exhaled, combing her hair with her fingers. She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at her therapist's eyes.

"I am doing good."

Dr. Hashimoto nodded and leaned her body forward slightly. She flickered her eyes from the cards before looking back at Naruto. The woman put down her cards, clasped her hands and focused on Naruto's trembling arms. "Maybe physically but something is bothering you, isn't there?"

Naruto took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Does she talk about it? Therapy was supposed to be a way of dealing with all the issues inside of her. Dr. Hashimoto was a therapist. She probably had seen shit similar to her shit, so maybe she could help her with this issue inside of her. This was her chance to figure things out. She exhaled and looked at the curious eyes of her therapist.

"I met my mother's relatives." She hunched her shoulders and looked down at her cards. Her eyes fixated on the diamonds of her cards. _The Second Uzushiokage knew the risks and made a contract with the Third Hokage._ Naruto tightened her grip on the cards. _Your mother was always grieving for her parents._ Naruto gulped and exhaled.

"You aren't happy to meet them, are you?"

Silence hung between them as Naruto looked at the drawings decorating the room. _Oh does the nameless orphan want to cheer up the crybaby by forcing Sasuke-kun acknowledge her?_ She wasn't nameless anymore. Her last name was Uzumaki. _We don't give money to __**beggers**_. She shivered and looked out to the window, where the sun seemed to be shining so brightly.

"They didn't know about me." Naruto relaxed her shoulders and looked at the woman. She closed her eyes and hunched her shoulders as her mind tried to come up with another way to spin the story. "But they knew my mother. They left her alone in a different city…they should have known that she might have a kid."

Everything that happened to her could have been avoided. She clenched her jaws together, curled her hand against her school skirt, and looked to the window. The honks bounced through the walls, reminiscent of the turmoil inside of her heart. Was she being silly to cling to her past? A part of her wanted to let it go but another part of her didn't want to let it go. She exhaled.

"You blame them for not knowing about you," Silence hung between them and her therapist bobbed her head. "You blame them for your childhood, don't you?"

Naruto bobbed her head. _Nameless orphan. Monster like you don't deserve to get comfort or cry. You're a liar._ There had been so many nights of her clutching her stomach, just wishing for some more food. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and pushed back the tears that threatened to consume her. The young woman stared at her for a couple of seconds before handing her a tissue. Naruto shook her head and Dr. Hashimoto frowned but didn't push her to take the tissue.

"You wanted them to be there for you."

Did she want them to be there for her? She guessed she did. How many times did she watch Sasuke walk back home with a smile on his face because Itachi pick him up? The way Hinata had been comforted by her branch maid. She took in another deep breath, looked away from her therapist and nodded her head.

"Maybe they couldn't be there for your childhood, but they can be there for you now…can't they?" The young woman looked at her folded cards before picking up her drink. She swirled her drink before pushing a plate of cookies to her. "Do you want to get to know them?"

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, relaxed her shoulders and took a cookie. She nibbled on the cookie, licking and closing her eyes as her heart raced against her ribs. "They are my link to my mother."

"But it doesn't mean it is easy for you to connect with them," the woman gazed at her with understanding eyes. "If anything you find it difficult."

Naruto blinked and nodded. It should be easy for her to connect with them. She was born and raised in the Elemental Countries, knew the lifestyle of a shinobi and so she should click with the adults. But something always stopped her. Was it her mother? Her issues with trust? She doesn't know. Was she just finding excuses just to be angry? Naruto doesn't know.

She just knew she was a mess.

"Do you find it difficult because you can't forgive them?"

Naruto gulped down the cookie and twirled her fingers against her hair. Blue eyes fixated on the passing cars before transitioning to the children coming out of their school, smiles lilting up their faces at the sight of their parents picking them up.

"I thought if I see them again then I can automatically forgive them," Naruto slumped her shoulders and fiddled with her hands. She inhaled and exhaled, smoothing her hair. "I keep hearing people say forgiveness can heal the soul but I just think of my childhood and I feel my heart ached."

"Some people think forgiveness will be immediate but it doesn't have to be," Dr. Hashimoto said gently. She offered Naruto a little smile and looked to the photo of her and another man. "No one can tell you when to forgive them and there is no feeling of forgiveness. Only you can decide when to forgive them."

Naruto chewed on her lips and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "But how will I know when to forgive them?"

Must they do something amazing for her to forgive them? Or does she need something simple? What was the first steps into letting go of what happened to her? All her childhood, she kept it bottled up. But Naruto wanted to be a hero. A hero that was worthy of the title but she couldn't be a good hero if she kept focusing on the past. She sighed.

"Only you will know when to do it," Dr. Hashimoto picked up her poker cards and looked at her. "It will be easy for me to just tell you when but it is different for everyone. I can only tell you that this is something you will need to figure out."

_Something you will need to figure out._ Naruto took a deep breath and combed through her hair before picking up her cards. How does she figure it out? Maybe the first step was her admitting that she wanted to forgive but it was difficult. She knew what was the cause so what should be her next step? She inhaled. Maybe she should go to Aizawa-sensei and asked him about it.

"I just want to know how to let go of my past."

Her therapist smiled, picked up a cookie and just looked at her with knowing eyes. "I don't usually give advice, I prefer that you come to the resolution but what works for me…is to focus on your present."

"Focus on the present?" Naruto looked at the various drawing that surrounded the walls before looking out at the window. Chuckle and giggles tickled through the windows and the blond-haired girl locked eyes on the little girl with cat ears holding her parents hands. They swung her and Naruto inhaled.

"You can't change the past, Uzumaki." Dr. Hashimoto reminded her. "Focusing on the past isn't healthy for you and I think you know that. But you can focus on your future and you should do that by making memories that makes you happy."

Well that sound easier said than done.

* * *

"I'm so glad that you were willing to meet with us, Tsuchikage-sama."

Kenji bowed and schooled his expression as Onoki stared down at him with unimpressed eyes. Taking a deep breath, the red-haired man lifted his head and looked at the Third Tsuchikage. It had been years since Kenji saw him with the last time being when his grandfather went to help the Tsuchikage with the seal of one of his jinchuuriki. _Not like helping them matter since he still tried to destroy us._

"When a presumed dead man comes, it is hard not to meet with them." Onoki rubbed his back and pressed his lips into a thin line before gesturing for him and Riku to take a seat. Kenji sat down and looked at the blank eyes of the man. "I still find it hard to believe even with the alliance I formed during the last war that we haven't been able to annihilate you."

_Leave me, Kenji! I will hold them off while you take Asa with you! The clan needs its future leader. _ Kenji clenched his hands into a fist as faded violet eyes flashed before him. Riku looked at him before fixating his eyes on Onoki. _I'm not the only one who lost family. Riku lost his first wife._ He exhaled and reminded himself to bring some flowers before they return back to Japan.

"You should never underestimate an Uzumaki, Tsuchikage-sama." Riku kept his tone calm and poised but Kenji only needed to look at his relative's fist to know how much the man wanted to punch him. _Bastard wants us to take a shot at him._ He had a wife, three kids and a whole clan to think about. If he lose his temper now, then everything his brother and grandfather sacrificed would go down the drain.

Onoki eyed them and curled his lips into a scowl. "Oh we learnt, didn't we? We only decreased your numbers."

_It was war._

He needed to remind himself this before he does something reckless.

"Tsuchikage-sama, I presume that you know we aren't here to discuss of our blood-soaked past," Kenji reminded the old man as his eyes fixated on the photo of the man's predecessors. He exhaled. "We came here to reason with you."

Onoki narrowed his eyes and stood up from his seat, slamming his hands onto the table. He moaned and rubbed his back, a sign that the old man was getting on in his old years. _If I was him, I would just pick a successor and enjoy my retirement._ He bit his tongue back from voicing his thoughts out loud. The man must have a perfectly reasonable reason for not choosing a successor by now.

"You may be an adult, Uzushiokage." Onoki eyed the cloak that Kenji wore; the same cloak worn by his grandfather. "But you are still a child. You are too young to try and reason with me!"

_It is like I'm talking to grandfather again._ Kenji inhaled and exhaled as irritation swirled around in his stomach, just ready for him to erupt. _If I ever end up like the Third Tsuchikage or even my grandfather then I'm definitely handing the title to Eisuke._ He focused his eyes on the irritated old man and schooled his expression. If all things failed then stroke an old goat's ego.

"Tsuchikage-sama, I'm nothing but a child compared to you." Riku swirled his head at him, eyebrows raised at his willingness to go through with this insult but Kenji could control himself. At the age of Onoki, no one would tolerate disrespect. They preferred to be the wise ones even if their decisions could be questionable. "But I'm not here to reason with you as a child would try to reason with their parent. Please don't consider me a child or even an Uzu shinobi…think of me as one of your shinobi for only this hour."

Onoki eyed him. "And why should I? You killed one of my sons."

"And your shinobi killed my brother," Kenji reminded him as he tried to keep his tone as calm as possible. "But we don't want to think of the past. What I want you to think about is the safety of your village."

Onoki leaned forward and locked eyes on him. Dark eyes seemed to be searching for something and Kenji held his hands up, pushing his sleeves down to reveal that he hadn't placed any seals on himself. _Not even the Tsuchikage would attack a man with no weapons._ The man nodded. "And why would a foreign nin care about the safety of Iwa? Especially when we destroyed your home."

Riku's eyebrows twitched and Kenji gestured for him to take a seat. The man grunted and placed his hands in his pockets, no doubt feeling his phone as he always did whenever he get irritated.

"It was war and I would have done the same thing in your position," Onoki stared at him while Riku jerked his head at him. Kenji took a deep breath. "And to be honest I don't care about Iwa, but I care about the various countries that would have been affected by your decision to kidnap children with Kekkei Genkei."

Onoki pressed his lips into a thin line and stiffened. "We lost so many shinobi during the Third Shinobi War. It is only natural that I seek to make my village great and strong through those children, and I won't the only Kage to try and steal those children."

"I don't know about Raikage nor the Hokage, but I do know the future Kazekage had refused to steal those children." Onoki eyed him and Kenji locked eyes on the old man that was probably the same age as his own father if he had been alive. "He did some recon and realized just how dangerous Japan is."

Onoki snorted. "He is young and still a little wet behind his ears."

"He has potential of becoming a good Kazekage," Kenji informed him. "But he wasn't wrong. Japan can be very dangerous even for a shinobi."

Onoki eyed him. "How so? A member of your clan won the whole thing without any problem, so explain to me how can Japan be considered dangerous to us? None of the people there can use chakra as my shinobi reported to me."

Hook, line and now it was time for Kenji to reason with him.

"They have weapons that can destroy a whole village with just a snap of a finger," Kenji leaned forward and held his hand out to Riku. His cousin handed him the photos that they had been able to print out before their journey to this part of the world. Pictures of rubbles, crying faces and other images was displayed on the table. The Tsuchikage picked up a photo and frowned. "This all happened in a span of a few minutes from a whole ocean away."

The Tsuchikage pressed his lips into a thin line and paled as his fingers trembled. "In just a few minutes?"

"Those people were innocent but because of one country invading another country, this happened." Kenji grimaced and closed his eyes as his wife's teary face flashed before his eyes. He exhaled. "Now imagine what Japan would do to Iwa and the other villages and cities in this part of the world if they knew you took their kids. Can your village withstand this kind of attack?"

Onoki rubbed his chin and looked down at the various photos from the rubbles to the weapons on display. Weariness flashed before his eyes alongside fear. _Even if he was being impulsive, he cares about his village._ The old man let out a sigh and put down the photos, sliding it back to him. Kenji placed the photos back into the envelope, handing it back to Riku.

"I have only one question, Uzushiokage," Onoki looked at the photo of his predecessors. "Why have you singled me out? And how did you figure out my actions? And of the future Kazekage?"

Kenji leaned forward, placed his hands on the table and locked eyes on the calm Kage. "Your shinobi kidnapped my niece and unfortunately for you, my niece knows how to send a message to the clan of which Kage planned to take her. The Kazekage is friends with a member of my clan and made it clear that he had no intentions to take those children."

He would be forever in debt with Gaara for helping Eisuke and Naruto in bringing back Tomoyo.

The Tsuchikage grimaced, locked his eyes on him and curled his lips into a frown. "Where are my shinobi?"

"In my grandmother's basement, handcuffed to the pillars." Onoki grimaced and rubbed the sides of his head at this knowledge, looking deeply irritated at this knowledge. _He should be glad that they were alive._ If Akira handed them to Asa then there was absolutely no chance of those three shinobi being kept alive.

Onoki pressed his lips into a thin line. "I want them returned to me."

"Well we will only return them back to you if you sign a written contract," Onoki blinked as Riku smiled widely. His cousin brought out another document, sliding it to the old man and grinning as the man tore open the envelope. _Most contracts between shinobi are just verbal agreement but a paper contract holds more power._ Kenji eyed the latest seal that he created during their time from their former home to here.

A seal that should have been created when Kushina had been sent to Konoha.

"And how do I know if I sign this contract that you will return back my shinobi?" Onoki demanded after he skimmed read through the agreement drawn up by him.

"We keep our promises and oath, Tsuchikage-sama," Kenji locked eyes on the man. "Sign it and I promise you that you will have your shinobi back in four days in one piece."

Onoki sighed and eyed him before pulling out a brush, signing the contract that Riku and him had made. The old man never noticed how the seal slid off from the bottom of the paper, sliding through the sleeve of his robes and was now making its way to his heart, where it would become transparent and burned into his skin. The man would never know unless he broke the conditions in the contract.

Kenji was not like his grandfather.

He would make sure that anyone that breaks the contract would face the consequence of breaking that written contract.

_Break the conditions in my agreement and a needle will pierce through your heart._

He doubt that it would ever come to it but Kenji would rather not have a repeat of the past. As soon as the Tsuchikage was done signing the contract then it would be time for him to go to Konoha to get answers on Kushina and his niece's childhood. _I can't take away their jinchuuriki but I will milk them dry of the money that we gave them._ He would get back what belonged to the clan and give that money to Naruto.

It might not earn her forgiveness but it would be the right thing to do for her.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Do you think Naruto is overreacting when it comes to her feelings to the Uzumaki Clan? What do you think of Naruto throughout these two books? What do you think should be improved in Guardian?


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_She overdid it again._

Shouto pressed his lips into a very thin line as his mismatch eyes fixated on the numerous scratches decorating Naruto's cheeks. What had she been up to? Wasn't she ever going to take things easy? She just dealt with one big problem last week, so why was she pushing herself so hard? It was a good trait but not to this point. There had to be limitations to how much she should push herself.

He shook his head, took a seat on his seat and placed his bag onto the ground. A little sigh escaped from Naruto's lips and the blond-haired girl chuckled. It was not even long before a little drool escaped from her lips. Shouto flickered his eyes from Naruto to the clock. As much as he wanted to let Naruto sleep, it would only be another five minutes before Iida comes. The boy would scold his friend if he sees her sleeping.

Taking a deep breath, Shouto poked Naruto's ribs. A groan escaped from Naruto's lips, tickling into his ear and a small smile broke out of Shouto's face. He poked her again, smiling and sighing as a groan came out of her lips. She turned her head to the other side and moaned. "Shouto, I don't wanna wake up!"

"Well if I don't wake you up then Iida will wake up." He whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her ear and a small giggle escaped from her lips. A smile breaks out of her face and the blond-haired girl smacked his hand. Was it wrong for him to admit that Naruto looked really pretty? He shook his head and sighed. "Naruto, you need to wake up or Iida will scold you."

"But I don't care about stupid Iida," Naruto grumbled.

_I really don't want to do this but she is making me do things the hard way._ Shouto inhaled and exhaled, pushing himself off of his seat. He took his spot behind Naruto, placed both of his hands on either sides of her slender shoulders. The younger boy furrowed his eyebrows, lowering the temperature of Naruto's left shoulder and the girl groaned. He flushed red as an image flashed before his eyes.

_Not the time to think about it._

He gulped and increased the temperature, hoping and praying it would be enough for Naruto to wake up. A small moan escaped from Naruto's lips as her eyelashes fluttered slightly. She let out a small yawn, hand rubbing off her drool and she looked up. Bright blue eyes widened and Shouto curled his lips into a smile as Naruto's cheeks grew pink.

The blond-haired girl flushed an even brighter shade of red. Shouto looked down, attempting to see what was going on Naruto's head but only to pause when he caught sight of the redness creeping down to her chest. He flushed a light shade of red and forced his head to turn to the window. Standing before him were the lush leaves of the trees and on its branches were the birds.

"So how was your day, yesterday?" He cringed slightly at his question and Naruto relaxed her shoulders. _I saw her yesterday and that is all I can ask?_ He turned his attention back to Naruto, mismatch eyes meeting the bright blue eyes of his friend. The blush on her face fades as blue eyes darkens slightly and the blond-haired girl chewed on her plump lips.

She dropped her head and hunched her back. Shouto leaned forward and looked down, mismatch eyes fixated on the darken eyes of Naruto. Her blond eyebrows seemed knitted together with a wrinkle forming on her forehead. In the two months he had known Naruto, this was one facial expression he knew.

A facial expression that always needed him to vocalize his concern.

"Naruto, are _you _okay?" He dropped his hands from her shoulders, missing the heat and he resumed his seat right beside her. He pushed his chair closer to her as Naruto looked to the windows. His eyes followed her line of sight, blinking when Kendou paused and looked at them with raised eyebrows. Green eyes flashed with concern and Naruto nodded.

Kendou looked at him and Shouto forced himself to nod.

Doubt shone through her green eyes but Kendou doesn't come in to talk to them. Instead her eyes just seemed fixated on him. _Watch out for her._ That was what her eyes seemed to be telling him and Shouto nodded. A smile broke out of her face and Kendou disappeared from their line of sight.

Naruto turned her body towards him and slumped her shoulders. "I don't want to bother you with my problem, Shouto."

"We are friends, aren't we?" The word _friends_ seemed to leave a bitter taste in his tongue but Shouto fixated his mismatch eyes on his friend. He leaned forward and traced her facial features with his eyes. "And friends are there for each other. I'm here for you."

White teeth nibbled her pink lips and Shouto forced himself to look back at Naruto's bright blue eyes. The girl darted her eyes everywhere, only relaxing her shoulders, and she swallowed. His eyes followed down her throat that seemed to rise and follow with every gulp.

"Naruto, if it is something difficult then we can work together." He whispered, focusing his eyes on her and giving her a tiny smile. Naruto stared at him, rubbing the back of her neck. She tiled her head, clenching her hands into a fist before relaxing her fist. Was she going to close off from him? He doesn't want it.

They came this far, he doesn't want to see her close off.

"I guess if anyone can understand what is going on with me then it is either you or Gaara," Naruto whispered, curling her lips into a tiny smile. She rubbed the back of her neck, flickered her eyes to the window, and let out a tiny sigh. "But not here. Iida is going to be here in the next few minutes."

Shouto nodded and leaned his body back as Naruto turned her head to look at the window. Her blue eyes seemed faded slightly, a small frown played on her lips and the girl rubbed her jaws. She inhaled and exhaled, only making Shouto to knit his eyebrows.

"Shouto, do you want to watch a movie tomorrow?" Mismatch eyes widened as Naruto flashed a tiny smile, tucking a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. Hesitant joy flashed before her eyes and Shouto could only took in the brightness of her eyes.

He only wanted to see her like this.

_When her eyes darkens, she looks good._

He pushed the thought into the back of his mind.

"I just want to make some memories," Naruto explained, fingers twirling around her hair as she looked at him. Her cheeks grew a pretty shade of red as Shouto continued to stare at her. His eyes landed on her pink lips. Her pink tongue peeked out of her lips, licking her lips and Shouto gulped.

"It isn't a date or anything!" Naruto flushed a brighter shade red and she poked her fingers together. " I mean we are friends and friends don't date! I mean we can bring Gaara and his siblings with us too! Midoriya can come too! Explosive Head too! Kendou and Setsuna too! Uraraka and Tsuyu because well…Midoriya doesn't really know Kendou!"

The blonde tugged her braid and a stray blond hair came out. Shouto felt his lips twitched as Naruto twirled her fingers around her hair. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away from him.

There were so many words Shouto could use to describe Naruto but nothing really came to his mind at this moment. Actually there were just no words to label Naruto at that moment.

"Naruto…"

"And we should invite Yaoyorozu," Naruto looked up to the ceiling and rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean she has been acting funny since we came back from our internship, not like her usual happy self. I mean I just wanna make some happy memories with everyone! I don't wanna to focus on the past!"

Shouto just stared at her and curled his lips into a tiny smile. "Okay, we can do it tomorrow."

Blue eyes widened and before Shouto could blink, Naruto tackled him. He felt his cheeks growing hotter as they crashed down to the ground. Blond hair fell down and blue eyes twinkled with joy, bouncing on top of him. He gulped and placed his hands on Naruto's hips, stopping her bounces. _I don't want to go to the bathroom during homeroom._ He held her in place.

She blinked and looked down, cheeks growing red and the blonde scrambled to her feet. "S-Sorry."

Shouto gulped and felt his cheeks growing hot as Naruto stood over him. There was only one reason Shouto could not answer her. One reason. As much as Natsuo liked to tease him, Shouto was still a hot-blooded male. Right above him was something that he only read in the small extracts of Naruto's editing. Right above him was Naruto's orange, lace panties and…he should not be looking at it. His cheeks grew red. "I-It's fine."

"Did you just squeak?"

"You must be imagining things," Shouto declared as Naruto moved out of the way. He scrambled to his feet, avoiding looking at his friend's knitted eyebrows.

Things had been so much easier when Naruto never kissed him.

* * *

The giggles and chatter of their fellow students filled and echoed throughout the school grounds. Several students passed them, never sparing a glance at either her or Shouto. Not that Naruto expected them to, not with the bushes that seemed to loom over them. That was probably the one good thing about Yuuei, everything was huge. Naruto smiled and looked down at her food before flickering her eyes to Shouto.

Shouto stared at her for a good few seconds before flushing a pretty shade of red. _It_ _has been hot for the last couple of days but I never thought Shouto can be affected by the heat._ Naruto chewed her bottom lip and tugged her tie as sweat clung to her neck. She needed some wind on her but she couldn't generate wind around her and asking Shouto for ice was a terrible idea.

So she only had one option left and that was to unbutton only two buttons of her shirt, allowing some of the heat to escape.

She blinked and gazed at Shouto. The younger boy gulped and looked at her neck, cheeks flushed red and his eyes flickered to her eyes. He clenched and unclenched his hands as his eyes ran from one place to the next, never meeting her eyes or her face. "Why did you do it?"

"Because unlike you, I can't regulate my temperature." Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and waved her hand, removing the sweat from her neck. "It's hot today."

"Do you want me to cool you down?" Was it her imagination or was Shouto purring? She gulped as heat rushed towards her face, not looking her friend in the eye. Shouto blinked and knitted his eyebrows. Nope. There was no way she was going to explain to him about how wrong it sounded. It was bad enough that she had to stop herself from teasing him.

"So, um, what happened yesterday?" Shouto looked down at his food and flickered his eyes to her. Blue eyes met mismatch eyes, concern shining through his eyes alongside with another emotion that she couldn't make out. She exhaled and looked up at the sky.

"Nothing really happened," Shouto blinked and Naruto flickered her eyes at him. "But I guess I have been contemplating forgiveness."

"Forgiveness?" Shouto frowned and looked down at her. "Why are you thinking about it?"

The blonde sighed and scooted closer to her friend, dropping her head against his shoulder. If Hinata was here, she would get a hug from her but her best friend wasn't here. Nejire didn't know anything about her past and the same goes for the girls in her class or Tokage and Kendou. So she could only rely on him. Mismatch eyes stared down in her eyes.

"Do you remember when I talked about meeting my potential family?" Shouto nodded and Naruto sighed. "Well it turned out that they were my family."

Her friend looked down at her. "You aren't happy about it, are you?"

"I was probably happy until I learnt that they left my mother alone in Konoha as a secret agreement between the Hokage and my great-grandfather," Naruto sighed and burrowed her head deeper into Shouto's left shoulders. Heat enveloped her and she relaxed her shoulders. "I don't know if they ever thought about her but they didn't check up on her when they came here. They didn't think she might have a kid, who needs a family."

Shouto looked down at her and his hands hovered over her shoulder. "You are angry with them for never looking for you, aren't you?"

She closed her eyes, pressed her lips into a thin line and opened her eyes. She looked into Shouto's mismatch eyes, fingers dancing around his left hand as her mind processed the question. There was no denying rage bubbled in her stomach but it was not just rage. There was another emotion inside of her.

An emotion Naruto knew all too well from watching Eri for Aizawa-sensei.

"I'm furious and hurt," Naruto relaxed as Shouto ran his hand through her hair, untangling her hair and if you asked Naruto, it felt good. Shouto's fingers really released the tension in her head. A sigh escaped from her lips. "I can tell they loved my mother, I saw it but I could only think of how much my mother must have suffered being in a foreign country by herself."

"How old was she?" Shouto whispered.

Naruto sighed. "A little kid; probably seven."

Mismatch eyes widened and she closed her eyes, pausing midway and quickly withdrew her hands from his left hand. Blue eyes widened when Shouto returned her hand there, mismatch eyes silently telling her that it was okay for her to take some comfort from his heat. She smiled for just a moment, only to fade when an image of her young mother flashed before her eyes.

Did her great-grandfather give enough money to her mother?

Did he visit her every year? Or have people visiting her?

"It must have been terrifying for her," Shouto commented as his hand continued to comb through Naruto's hair. The blonde nodded. Even though she decided to come here, it had been terrifying in her first few weeks here. The technology was different. The culture was slightly different. The people too. She had been twelve.

She could only imagine how terrifying it had been for her young mother.

"I don't know anything about Uzushiokagure's culture," Naruto sighed. "But I imagine it is the same difference between Konoha and Tokyo. Even for a young kid, it is still a shock and she was dealing with it alone."

Silence hung between them with the only sound between them was the chatter of the other students. Naruto closed her eyes, sighing and leaning her body even closer to Shouto as the boy continued to scratch her head. She felt her toes uncurl and Shouto paused, looking down at her.

Sometimes Naruto thinks it was easy for her to open up to Shouto was because he had always been there for her.

"But I'm not just furious about how they treated my mother," Shouto raised his eyebrow at her and Naruto hunched her shoulders. "They didn't just abandon her…they abandoned me too. Do you know how much protection a clan can give you? Shops would be afraid to disrespect a person from a shinobi clan."

Shouto nodded and stroke her hair, patting her back but never offering her any words. She doubt he could say words to comfort her but just the fact he was here was enough for her. The fact he wasn't judging her and was just offering her some affection was enough to calm her down.

"You wanted protection."

Naruto bobbed her head. "I wouldn't have been in an orphanage if they checked on me and all those months I spent begging for money would have been avoided if they just looked for my mother."

Her friend looked down at her and rubbed her back, drawing circles around it. She sighed and looked up at the bright blue sky as the summer breeze tickled her hair. It felt good yesterday when she talked about it with her therapist, but it felt even better to release her feelings to him. She looked at Shouto, blue eyes tracing his jaw and she withdrew her hands from him.

She looked up at the floating clouds that seemed to stroll without a care in the world.

"Shouto," Naruto took a deep breath and calmed down her racing heart. "I don't know the full extent of what Endeavour did to you but would you forgive him if he apologized to you? Or do you think it is irredeemable?"

Shouto stroked her hair, detangling her hair as if trying to calm himself down. He hunched his shoulders slightly and Naruto inhaled, gently pushing herself off of him. Taking a deep breath, the blond-haired girl placed her hand on his shoulders, digging into the tense shoulders of her friend.

"I don't know Naruto," Naruto paused and looked at her friend. Shouto frowned and looked up at her, mismatch eyes meeting her own. "I have never thought about it before but I would just wait and see if he ever changed…or if he just putting on an act."

Naruto nodded and blinked when Shouto removed her hands from his shoulders. _Right…it might have been inappropriate._ She had never done it before but Naruto used to see Mikoto calming down her husband like this. Sasuke used to refuse it, claiming that he didn't need her to baby him. But Shouto hadn't seem to mind until just now.

Shouto gazed at her. "Naruto, I don't know much about forgiveness but you shouldn't force yourself to forgive if you don't feel like you can do it."

_But I can do it._ Naruto looked at her food and stared at the steamed rice, pushing her lips back and forth before looking at her friend. Shouto stared at her with unreadable eyes, not revealing one emotion to her. Confusion and dread began to roll in her stomach as silence continued to reign between them. Why was he masking his emotions? She knew he didn't have anger or jealously so why was he hiding it? She hunched her shoulders and stood up, ready to head back to class.

"Naruto, there has been something that has been bothering me for the past week."

Naruto froze as Shouto stood up, taking a step towards her. He inhaled and exhaled, hunching his shoulders and mismatch eyes fixated on her. Her throat dried up when his eyes fixated on her lips, darkening slightly at the sight of it and dread only crept up in her stomach.

He wouldn't ask her, would he?

No, she must be overthinking things.

"Naruto, why did you kiss me that day?"

She should have known Shouto was going to ask her about it.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think about this chapter? Do you think for the last couple of chapters that there had been a lot of telling instead of showing? What are your thoughts of the whole sequel? Do you think it had been a good idea to separate the books? Instead of combining them like the original Nirvana? There might be another 15-20 chapters before this book ends. **


	36. Chapter 35

**A/N:** **I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_Naruto, why did you kiss me that day?"_

Naruto could only stared at the curious eyes of her friend. What brought this on? Why couldn't he just pretend they had never kissed? She exhaled and clenched her hands into a fist. Blue eyes fixated on the younger boy's jaws, shifting and turning as it tried to draw an imagine inside of her head. The blond-haired girl took in a deep breath.

"Why are you asking me this now?" Her voice trembled slightly and her heart raced against her chest. Was it possible for her heart to leap out of her own chest? Because it seemed to be trying to crawls its way of her chest and into her mouth with every word that came out of her mouth. She steadied her trembling arms and rubbed it together, hoping to get rid of the shivers coursing through her body.

Shouto took another step forward and looked down at her. He gazed down at her, his eyes lingering on her lips. "Because I can't stop thinking about our kiss since it happened."

Naruto blinked and gulped as Shouto took another step forward. Why weren't her legs moving? She needed to take a step back before Shouto got near her. Also why was her heart racing like it was on a racetrack? She trembled and took a deep breath when her friend stopped right in front of her. His eyes looked down at her and he placed his right hand on her hair.

She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Why can't you stop thinking about it?"

That had been the wrong question to ask because Shouto's eyes seemed to darken at her question. She inhaled and exhaled, calming down her raging heart and steadied her trembling legs and arms. She looked up at him, blue eyes taking in the emotions in his eyes. Her lips parted slightly when Shouto groaned. The younger teen placed his forehead down on hers, mismatch eyebrows knitted together.

"How am I supposed to know?" Shouto lowered his hand and gazed into her eyes. "I only know that I liked it when you kissed me."

"W-What?" Naruto squeaked as all the air inside of her seemed to be knocked out at those words. He gazed down at her, locking eyes on her and not once did they waver. Was it because it was his first kiss? Wait, was it even Shouto's first kiss? _I certainly didn't give much thought when Shikamaru accidently caused me and Sasuke to kiss._ She parted her lips. "Are you serious?"

She doesn't know what possessed her to say this.

Shouto nodded. "It has been a week and I still can't forget what it was like to kiss you."

Naruto gawked at him, lips parting slightly as her brain tried to process what was just said to her. Her heart danced at those words, almost leaping to her mouth like one of those ice skaters that she had seen in television. She blinked and blinked, fingers itching to pinch herself to check if her mind was playing tricks on her. Shouto just gazed down at her.

"You didn't kiss me," she spluttered once her brain finished processing what was just said to her. Shouto raised his eyebrow and Naruto puffed her cheeks. "You just stood there like an ice statue!"

Shouto regarded her. "You ran before I could finally processed what you did."

Her eyebrows twitched and the blond-haired girl clenched her hands into a fist as her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. What was he trying to imply? That he would have kissed her back. Nope. No way. Impossible. He must be taunting her but she would let it slide since he didn't know better. Instead, she would just clarify what happened.

"I didn't mean to kiss you, Shouto!" She tried to keep her voice as quiet as possible and Naruto exhaled. "And anyways what I did to you was considered assault!"

"Is it considered assault if I liked it?" Curiosity was laced through his tone and mismatch eyes looked down at her with an intensity that made Naruto falter. He slipped his hands away from her hair and looked into her lips. "Do you still consider it an assault if I still think about it?"

Naruto knitted her eyebrows, hunched her back and then straightened her back. "How the hell am I supposed to know? All I know is that what I did was considered harassment! I mean you don't kiss someone without permission! So technically yes, I assaulted you! And it was all because I was being impulsive!"

The words hung in the air as her voice echoed throughout the ground. Blue eyes darted to the gaps between the bush. There was not a single student strolling or sitting before the bushes, causing the blond-haired girl to relax her body slightly. With no one on sight then there was a chance no one heard her words. Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line and raised his eyebrows at her.

It was the truth.

"Why were you being impulsive?" Gentleness and softness leaked and laced throughout his tone as Naruto trembled at her admission to him. He shouldn't look at her like that. With the way his eyes kept looking at her, she might just do something reckless again. Their friendship was on the line because of her impulsive decision.

But when he looked at her like that, it made her think that she needed to be honest.

She tugged her hair and allowed her tone to rise. "How am I supposed to know? I have been asking myself the very same question for the past week!"

"Naruto…" Shouto reached out for her but the blond-haired girl took a step back. Mismatch eyes locked onto her and Naruto slumped her shoulders. Her whole body trembled as the scent of Shouto's cologne tickled her nostrils, enveloping her. This strange feeling inside of her had been growing from the moment in the Sports Festival, getting stronger and stronger as each day passed.

What were those feelings?

Was it appreciation for the fact he stuck by her side? Or was it something else entirely?

"Shouto, what I did to you was something that happened in a moment of impulsive behaviour." She inhaled and exhaled as her blue eyes locked onto him. She straightened her back. "I think I just kissed you because you didn't want me to die! Do you know how many people in my life had worried about me in that way? Only one person and that was Hinata."

Shouto gazed at her with eyes that shone without any emotions and Naruto exhaled. It felt good to admit these things to him and maybe being honest was actually good to her health. All the annoyance and anger inside of her seemed to be fading away as her mind cleared.

"I'm not saying this because I was a kunoichi," she lowered her voice till only Shouto could hear it. "I'm saying this because I'm the girl who didn't have anyone by my side. Whenever I was in the hospital, Hinata-chan was always the one scolding me for landing myself there. She was the one that always seemed to care if I ended up dying."

"And did you kiss Hinata-chan?" Shouto tilted his head and looked down at her.

She could always lie but the Hokage taught her better than this.

_You should always tell the truth, Naru-chan when you aren't on duty._

"No." Naruto tucked a strand of her hair and looked at him. "I kissed her on the cheek and hug her whenever she worried about me….but I never kissed her on the lips."

The words hung in the air and the blond-haired girl looked through the bushes. A boy and a girl held hands together, smiling and laughing without a care in the world, and looked at each other with fondness. A hazy memory of the pier flickered in her mind. Itachi's curious eyes and Izumi's smile. An ache in her heart and Sauke grumbled about how Izumi was taking away his brother from him. Shisui laughed as he teased Sasuke about his love for his brother.

Her own words echoed back in her ear as secret smiles shared between Itachi and Izumi flashed before her.

"_But isn't it nice that he loves her? Love is so beautiful and precious, isn't it?"_

She relaxed her fingers.

"I'm sorry Shouto for what I did to you." Shouto blinked and Naruto looked at him. "I won't do that to you again."

The school bell rang and the blond-haired girl looked to the main building, never noticing the slumped shoulders of Shouto.

* * *

_She gave me the answers that I wanted but why do I still feel so confused?_

Shouto sighed and run his hands through his hair as one hand removed his shoes. He paused at the lack of heels, signalling that Fuyumi was out. Probably at the grocery store or visiting her friend Tomoyo. The only other shoes were the Shitty Old Man and Natsuo. Why was Natsuo here? Wasn't he supposed to go on a date with his girlfriend?

The mismatch boy shook his head and made his way to the living room, blinking at the sight of his brother standing in front of the mirror. The older boy paused, half way done with his tie, and swirled his head at him. A huge smile broke out of his brother's face, a different sight from a month ago. _I guess that having a girlfriend is helping him. He barely spends any time here._

"Hi Shouto," His brother waved his hand and knitted his eyebrows as he tied his tie. "How was your day?"

"Are you getting ready for your date?" Shouto took a seat on the couch, removed his bag and looked at the television screen. Natsuo sighed and bobbed his head, a huge smile playing on his lips. The smile disappeared when those grey eyes fixated on him, replaced with a frown. His brother looked at the bouquet of flowers on the table, shaking his head and taking a seat beside him.

"Did something happen today? You look almost gloomy."

Shouto blinked and tilted his head, mismatch eyes focused on his brother. He pressed his lips into a thin line as Natsuo's hand hovered over his shoulder, ready to pat him. Out of everyone that was currently inside the house, his brother seemed to be the only one that understood emotions. His studies required him to understand it and maybe…he could help him make sense of his feelings.

"I'm confused."

Natsuo dropped his hands on his shoulder and raised his eyebrows. "I need more info, Shouto. My Quirk isn't mind reading, what are you confused about?"

"_How the hell am I supposed to know? I have been asking myself the very same question for the past week!"_

_She doesn't even know why she was being impulsive._ He cracked his knuckles and inhaled while his brother frowned, eyebrows knitted together. Shouto ran his hand through his hair, heart racing against his chest as he recalled the kiss that kept replaying in his mind like a broken film record. Getting answers from Naruto hadn't help him at all.

It just made things worse.

"Naruto kissed me last week." Natsuo does not even blink or widened his eyes, just nodding his head. Why wasn't he surprised? Shouto hadn't told anyone but Midoriya about it. He frowned and raised his eyebrows at his brother. "You don't seem surprised."

"Fuyumi-neechan has her suspicions when you came back home with flushed cheeks," Natsuo clasped his hands together and Shouto blinked. His brother sighed and looked at the television screen. "She asked me to talk about it with you because she feels it is too awkward for her to ask you about it."

"Why didn't you?" He knitted his eyebrows and looked at his older brother. Was it because they weren't as close as he had been with Touya-niisan? They might hang out together now, having breakfast at times, but it would never be like the relationship between him and Natsuo.

His brother rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Because how can I help you if you don't want to talk to me about it? For all I know, you could have this under control. I can't interfere if you don't want help from me."

Shouto nodded and looked at the bouquet of flowers on the table. Roses seemed to be thrown together, a deep shade of red that almost reminded him of Naruto whenever she blushed. Maybe he should compare her blushes to roses instead of tomatoes, seemed more appropriate. His brother cleared his throat.

"So what is confusing you, Shouto?"

"I asked Naruto why she kissed me." Natsuo blinked and raised both eyebrows to his hairline as Shouto inhaled and exhaled, taking in several deep breaths. He looked up to the celings. "I thought it would clear my mind and help me understands things but her answer confused me. She just told me that she kissed me because she was being impulsive."

His brother frowned and rubbed his chin, body leaning forward. "So you don't believe her? Or do you wish that there was another reason?"

"It sounds like Naruto," Shouto sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He knitted his eyebrows together and looked at their blank walls. "She told me that she won't do it again and I thought I should feel okay, but I didn't like her words. I wanted to ask her why and I think I wanted to hear another reason, Natsu-niisan. I just don't know why I can't accept it."

Natsuo blinked and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Have you ever considered that maybe you developed feelings for her? That you might actually like her."

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck and blinked as his cheeks grew a furious shade of red. Did he develop feelings for Naruto? It might explain why he wasn't happy when she smiled at their senior even though it had been irrational. But if he had feelings for her then wouldn't he have figure it out? Wouldn't he think that Naruto was perfect? But Naruto wasn't perfect.

She could be short-tempered and reckless but he doesn't mind those parts of her.

"I don't know."

"You know if I were you, I won't start anything with her until I figured things out." His brother grimaced and looked to the door as if almost worried that the Shitty Old Man would come in. The man always did ruin the mood. "You should never enter a relationship without the best intentions."

Shouto nodded and flickered his eyes to the door. For a brief moment, a pair of turquoise eyes seemed to be peeking out of the door but then it disappeared. Perhaps it might have been his imagination. Endeavour would come in and tell him that relationships weren't something to focus on now. Although the shitty old man seemed to give a different advice during his internship.

He shook his head.

"How am I supposed to figure out my feelings?" Shouto sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He hunched his shoulders, trying to ignore the growing pain in his heart. Maybe he should have asked his mother but Shouto still feel his stomach turning at the thought of telling his mother.

"Do you like her because of who she is?" Shouto blinked as Natsuo looked to the blank walls of their house before flickering his eyes to the flowers. "Or do you like her because of who do you think she is? That is the best advice I can give from my own experience."

"Do you think you love your girlfriend?" Shouto asked his brother. "Is that how you know?"

Natsuo blinked and shook his head. He curled his lips into a bitter smile and looked up to the ceiling. "I'm still trying to figure out this shit. I'm giving you the advice that Touya-niisan gave me before he ran away. You know he really liked someone before…but he was always afraid, always worried that he would end up like the Shitty Old Man."

Shouto blinked. "Do you know who he liked before, Natsu-niisan?"

"I have an idea on who it is." His brother sighed and looked down at him. "But I doubt there is any good for us to think about it. For all I know, Touya-niisan moved on from his life and found some other girl to love and that woman will find someone else to love. No one can wait forever for someone that is never coming back, only fools in love will do it…and that girl is anything but a fool."

Neither boys noticed how turquoise eyes watched them and Endeavour doesn't say a word. He just stared at his two sons, frowning and grimacing as he walked the other way.

* * *

_I only know that I liked it when you kiss me._

Naruto groaned and flushed a dark shade of red as Shouto's words echoed in her ear. Even after their conversation and telling their friends about the movies, she still could not forget those words. Why did he have to tell her that? Couldn't he just say something else? She scrubbed the plate even harder.

"Naruto, you have been cleaning the same plate for the past ten minutes."

Naruto blinked and looked up from the plate, blue eyes widening as her boss pressed her lips into a thin line. The older woman sighed and placed her hands against the table, lips pressed into a thin line. Was her boss going to fire her just because she hadn't noticed the change of plates? She hoped not. This was a source of income that she could make for herself, not some form of hand out.

"I will just go on to the ne—"

"I think you need take your break now," her boss shook her head and looked at her. "Even if you go to the next plate, you are going to be distracted. So take your break now and hopefully you can come back into the kitchen with the same work ethic that you have."

"But Boss—"

"You are my favorite worker, take advantage of it." The woman shrugged. "I won't be able to run a tight ship without you here and if you are distracted then everything is going to fall apart. So get out of here and take some time to yourself to process whatever happened to you. If you even think of coming back here, I will cut your paycheck."

"You wouldn't dare."

"If it means you get your head screwed on properly then yes." The older woman answered, waving for her to go. Naruto groaned and removed the apron from her body. Well if she was going to process things then that new ramen stand from across the street was the place to go. The older woman ruffled Naruto's hair and gestured for the girl to go.

Naruto strolled out of the kitchen, pushed the door opened and made her way towards the entrance but only to stop at the sight of Nejire. Her friend sat alone on the table, lips curled into a bright smile and flipping through the menu. The girl perked her head up and bluish-lavender eyes met her own. Nejire grinned.

Oh boy.

"Naru-chan!" Nejire rushed out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Naruto, squeezing the girl like she was a teddy bear. "Are you having a break? Can you eat dessert with me? Yuyu ditched me to do homework and Tamaki and Mirio are in the Arcades so I'm all alone now!"

Naruto flickered her eyes to the ramen stand, lips curled into a frown before sighing. It was no fun for her to eat ramen by herself anyways. The older girl cheered, grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged the girl to the seat. The periwrinkled-haired girl hummed, tapped her fingers against her chin while Naruto's coworkers just looked at her with pity. The blue-eyed girl just sighed when the waiter handed her the menu.

Flipping through the pages, Naruto paused when her eyes caught sight of the green-tea flavored desserts. _Is it considered assault if I liked it._ She slumped her head and tugged her hair. How was she supposed to know? In Konoha, it was never considered harassment if someone hugged you whenever you don't like it but it would be considered one here.

Why did he have to say that?

"So what is bothering you, Naru-chan?" Naruto blinked and raised her eyebrow at Nejire. The older teen put down the menu and offered her a smile. "You didn't answer me when I asked you about how were you twice. It kinda tells me something is on your mind."

Naruto stared at the girl and chewed on her bottom lip. Does she tell her? Should she tell her? She shifted back and forth in her seat, blue eyes darting everywhere but her friend's eyes. If anyone could help her make sense then maybe it was Nejire. Not once did the girl judge her for her behavior, always trying to be there for her and well maybe her friend had a better idea about her feelings.

She inhaled and nodded. "For the past two months, I have been feeling strange whenever I'm near Shouto."

"Shouto?" Nejire tilted her head and her eyes widened. "Endeavour's son, right? What do you mean strange?"

Naruto nodded and twirled her fingers together as various memories flashed before her eyes. The warm hugs between them. That soft kiss between them. Her lips pressing against his scar while he slept. Her fear of losing him when her eyes caught sight of his wounds. She inhaled and exhaled, gulping down a lump.

"Whenever I see Shouto, my heart would race against my chest," Naruto admitted, poking her fingers together and curling her lips into a thoughtful frown. "It flutters too and sometimes I get distracted in class because I can't help but stare at him. Whenever I'm alone in my apartment at night, I keep thinking about him. These kind of things feels weird to me."

Periwrinkle eyes softened at those words and Nejire rubbed her chin as a small smile broke out of her face. "That strange feeling sounds like a crush to me."

_L-Love?_ Blue eyes widened as all of Naruto's blood rushed towards her cheeks. The blond-haired girl shook her head, ponytail hitting either sides. "H-How can I have a crush! I act like myself around him! W-Well most of the time anyway."

"You don't have to change yourself around him to have a crush, Naru-chan." Nejire smiled and looked at the various couples sitting in the café. _Don't I? Sakura hid her tendencies of acting like a delinquent whenever Sasuke was around._ She knitted her eyebrows and Nejire looked at her. "I act like myself around Tamaki and I still like him."

Naruto shook her head and hunched her shoulders. "But I can't have those kind of feelings! Shouto is my friend and it is wrong to have feelings for my friend."

She had to wait it out and pray to god that her crush would fade. _But what if I'm like Nejire?_ Her friend still liked Tamaki after getting rejected and it had been a year too. Would she still like him after a year? No. She shouldn't think like this. Naruto inhaled and exhaled. She couldn't think like this.

"Why?" Naruto blinked as Nejire leaned forward. "Naru-chan, why do you think it is wrong to have feelings for a friend? I liked Tamaki after being friends with him and despite the fact I confessed, our friendship didn't suffer too much from it."

"Because if I liked him then things would change." Naruto tugged her hand around her hair as Nejire stared at her. The blue-eyed girl tapped her finger against the table and her body shifted back and forth. A memory played before her eyes. Hinata-chan getting so nervous whenever Kiba was near. Sakura acting so submissive around Sasuke. She doesn't want that.

She wanted to be herself.

But Nejire was herself around Tamaki and maybe she wouldn't have to lose herself.

"Change can be good for you," Nejire pointed out. "For all you know, Todoroki-san can be the one for you but you won't ever know if you don't take a risk of trying it out."

Naruto frowned. "You talk as if Shouto might have feelings for me and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't have feelings for me."

_If he did then he would have spell it out to me._ Nejire hummed and smiled, fingers drawing hearts as several boys looked at them. The girl beamed, waving her hands before looking at Naruto. The blond-haired girl hunched her shoulders and took several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down.

"Are you certain?" Naruto blinked and Nejire leaned forward. "You can't claim something if you haven't done it. If he turns you down when you confess to you then you are right. But don't say something until you bare your soul to him."

_But do I really like Shouto in that way?_

She chewed on her bottom lip and tapped her fingers against the table. If anyone did know about the feelings of love then it was Nejire. Her friend wouldn't tell her this if she wasn't certain, would she? Compared to most of the girls Naruto interacted throughout her life, Nejire had been one of the best females that she knew. If Nejire wanted to ruin her then she would have done it earlier.

She slumped her shoulders and groaned.

Was this strange feeling really love?

Now it just made things worse.

"I can't confess to him if I have feelings for him."

Nejire tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows. "Why?"

_Because what if he rejects me?_ What could she offer him? Her eyes weren't the prettiest eyes in the world. She could swear like a sailor if pushed to the limit. She didn't have the best fashion sense. Compared to most girls, Naruto looked ordinary. She was also so messed up.

Besides, she spent most of her life rejected by society.

"Because I don't deserve to be loved."

Nejire blinked and blinked, lips parting at those words and Naruto hunched her shoulders._ Face it Uzumaki, you are just __**an ugly fox**__ that would be lucky if someone loves you._ She gulped down a lump as her whole body trembled. Those cruel eyes flashed before her. _Monsters like you don't deserve to get comfort or cry._ She took in one shaky breath.

"Why?" Nejire frowned.

"What do you mean why?"

"I mean why do you think you need to deserve love?" Naruto blinked and her lips parted as Nejire rubbed her chin. "Naru-chan, do you think a baby needs to deserve love?"

Naruto frowned and knitted her eyebrows together, head tilted to the side as Nejire's eyes locked onto her. Was this a trick question? Because she thinks that there was a right answer to it. It felt like a damn test again and not one that she could study. She slumped her shoulder and sighed.

"No," Naruto looked to the babies being cuddled by their parents and sighed. "Why would they need to deserve it? They deserve love because they simply exist. They don't need to work for it."

Nejire smiled. "But didn't you just imply you need to deserve love to get it?"

Blue eyes widened as her friend looked at the various babies inside the café. A large smile decorated her friend's face and the girl bounced in her seat as Naruto gazed at her. Was she trying to imply that she didn't need to work for love? That she always deserved it. But that didn't make sense…except it did. In a strange way, she understood what her friend was getting at.

"Just like a baby doesn't need to work for it, you don't need to think you have to deserve love." Her friend smiled and looked at her with twinkling eyes. "You deserve love because you exist. Even villains are loved by some people even though they did terrible things. You don't have to earn it."

Naruto hunched her back and closed her eyes at those words. _You don't have to earn it._ Those words made sense but why did she always have to try and get it? If she deserve love just for existing then wouldn't that mean all those times that she pretended to be something she was not…had been for nothing? The thought made her want to hurl.

"You know Naru-chan I think before you give yourself a chance to love Shouto…I think you need to learn how to love yourself." Naruto blinked as Nejire looked at her with a smile. "My mum always said to me that you should always learn to love yourself before loving someone else."

Naruto blinked and knitted her eyebrows together. "What makes you think I don't love myself?"

"Because you never ever pamper yourself," Naruto blinked as Nejire looked at the café. "You are always working or if you aren't working then I think you must be training, because I have seen you walking to school with scratches. Have you ever done something to take care of yourself?"

Naruto blinked and her friend looked at the blond-haired girl's clothes. Her lips curled into an understanding smile as her eyes lingered on Naruto's shoulders. The seams of her shirt seemed to extend to her upper arm and her shirt dropped below her waist. The girl smiled as Naruto shook her head. Okay so maybe she didn't take time to do things that she really wanted to do.

"Do you know what else is another sign?" Naruto shook her head and Nejire looked at her with sad eyes. "It is the fact you don't take pride in your appearance. When I saw the rerun of the Sports Festival, I knew you weren't at all confident in wearing that skirt."

_You look like a __**monster**__ even when you wear a skirt and nothing you ever do will make you look pretty._

Naruto hunched her shoulders.

"But it is okay, Naru-chan." Naruto blinked and Nejire smiled. "I am going to help you in your journey of loving yourself. I will get you back the confidence inside of you!"

The blond-haired girl blinked. "W-What? Why?"

"Because you are my friend, Naru-chan and friends help each other."

_When Naruto looked back at this day, she thinks that was when the nature of her friendship with Nejire changed. Because while Hinata taught her that she wasn't a monster, Nejire was the one that teaches her to love herself._

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think of this chapter? And of the interactions between the characters? And of my character portrayal of Nejire? And of the developments surrounding the characters? **


	37. Chapter 36

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"Naruto, is there a reason that you want us to watch a movie?"

Naruto lowered her hoodie, stuffed her hands into her pockets and looked at Temari. The older girl had her hands in her jeans, teal eyes narrowing at any boy that gazed at her, while Kankuro eyed the various pretty females inside the mall. Gaara just eyed her with teal eyes that seemed to burned with curiosity. Naruto sighed.

"Yeah, for you guys to have some fun before you go back to your village," Naruto shrugged her shoulders and looked at her phone. She had to leave her classmates early to make sure that the Suna nins knew where to go_._ Kankuro wrinkled his nose and scanned the floor before looking at Naruto .

"We aren't leaving for another couple of months," Kankuro flickered his eyes to Gaara and lowered his voice. "We still have to investigate and learn about the dangers that this country could pose to our village. By the time we leave, it will be time for Gaara to take on the mantel of Kazekage."

_He came so far._ Naruto stared at Gaara, taking in the black circles that decorated his eyes alongside the stiff posture of her friend, and frowned. Blue eyes flickered to the carefree smiles of the fellow teens as their laughers echoed throughout the floor. Her eyes softened and the blond-haired girl looked back to her friend.

"Once that happens, Gaara won't ever get to have fun." Temari and Kankuro hunched their shoulders and looked to their youngest brother, frowning at the reminder of the childhood their brother had been robbed of. Gaara stared at her, curled his lips into a frown and nodded. There was no point for her friend to deny her words, not when they knew it was true.

"Fun isn't something that I deserve right now, not after what I did to the village," Guilt was laced throughout his tone and Naruto gazed at her friend. Would his guilt ever fade? Or must he carry it throughout his life? Did the people of Suna forgive him for his actions? She shook her head and looked to the smiling faces of their fellow teens.

Most of those teens would either have normal jobs or become heroes but there were going to be a few teens that would fall off the path set by Government. Naruto slipped her hands into her pockets, dropping her phone, and stared at Gaara. _If a villain came to be because of the failure of society, should they really be sent to prison? Or should they be compensated for the actions done to them?_ She wasn't sure.

This part of the world had such a black and white view of things while Naruto could only see a shade of grey.

"All of us deserve some fun," Gaara blinked and Naruto stared at the children running passed them, their hands clutching their toys so tightly. "What happened, happened but well this is our chance to catch up on the childhood that we never get to experienced. I wanted all of us to make some happy memories."

"Happy memories?" Gaara blinked.

"Someone told me that focusing on the past isn't healthy," Naruto clasped her hands behind her back and stared at her friend. "But we can focus on the future and the best way to do that is to make memories that makes us happy. You can atone for what you did but you weren't a 100% at fault for what happened."

He may have killed so many civilians and shinobi but Naruto doubt he wouldn't have done it if he hadn't been pushed pass his mental limit.

"Uzumaki!" The four teens blinked at the loud, cheerful voice that seemed to be coming from the other direction. _That has to be Uraraka._ Naruto clicked her feet and turned her whole body around, lips curled into a smile as Uraraka came into view with Shouto, Asui and Midoriya. _I'm guessing Yaoyorozu is going to be a bit late because of Vice-President duties._

"I thought you guys were going to ditch us." Uraraka laughed while Asui smiled at the joking tone of Naruto. Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, his whole body trembling as he took in the sight of her friends. The blue-eyed girl looked at Shouto, rubbing the back of her neck. _It has been a week and I still can't forget what it was like to kiss you._ She flushed red and looked away.

She was in no state to admit her feelings, not until she became a better version of herself.

"So are these your friends, Uzumaki-chan?" Asui tilted her head and tapped her chin. Blank eyes took in the attire of her friends and Asui stared at the love tattoo on Gaara's forehead. Oh yeah, it was probably not normal for a 16-year-old to have a tattoo here. Naruto bobbed her head and looked at the three Suna nin.

"I should introduce you guys," Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and turned to the three nin. "The redhead is Gaara and the girl beside him is Temari, his older sister. Finally the brown-haired guy is Kankuro; he is Gaara's older brother."

"_Nice to meet you!"_ Her friends greeted, giving the three nin a small bow before introducing themselves to the three nin. Was it a big risk for them to meet her friends? Probably. But this was probably one of the few chances where the three siblings could bond together. Even when Naruto hang out with them, their bond still felt shaky.

They still didn't feel as close as siblings should be.

"Sorry, I'm late but Aizawa-sensei had some things to discuss with Iida and me." Everyone blinked and turned their body around at the sight of Yaoyorozu running towards them with a smile and a clear bounce in her steps. _I don't think I have ever see her run when it wasn't required._ Naruto shrugged while everyone else waved off the apology. Kankuro stared at Yaoyorozu, his eyes shifting to her chest, and a large smile played on his lips.

Naruto's eyebrows twitched and Shouto curled his lips into a frown, no doubt having some . Gaara glanced at the two teens and let out a sigh before grabbing his older brother by the collar. _Does Gaara still use his normal threat against his siblings whenever they annoyed him?_ She only heard it once during the Chunin Exams and even now her legs trembled at the memory.

_I will kill you._

God, it still sounds terrifying even in her mind.

Kankuro swirled his head and raised an eyebrow at his younger brother as Yaoyorozu came to stand before them. Her hand clutching her chest as if she ran a race. _She is probably excited to have some fun with us ._ From the way Yaoyorozu talked at times, Naruto could guess she was sheltered. Gaara eyed the girl before looking back at his brother.

"_Any friends or acquittance of Naruto is off-limits for you, Kankuro."_ Gaara whispered so quietly that Naruto had to stain her ear to hear it. Kankuro frowned and teal eyes narrowed dangerously. "_It is one thing to have a one night stand with a stranger but having one with Naruto's friends is a different thing. Naruto will have to deal with the consequence of your actions."_

Would she? Naruto doesn't know but she doubt Yaoyorozu would be so naïve enough to fall for Kankuro's tricks. _She is probably the type that wants commitment before doing anything._ Kankuro was definitely out of the question but who knows? Love was apparently blind.

"Are these you friends that you were talking about yesterday, Uzumaki-san?" Yaoyorozu asked, tilting her head and gazing at the three teens. Her black eyes lingered the most on Gaara, shining with curiosity at the tattoo on the red-haired boy's forehead before looking at his teal eyes. Naruto bobbed her head.

Naruto nodded and watched as the three teens introduced themselves to the girl. Yaoyorozu offered them a smile before introducing herself to them. _Maybe I should have waited for everyone before doing the introductions._ Well there was no point of her crying over spilled milk. She looked at her phone, frowning at the lack of message from the other three members for their outing.

Tokage and Itsuka were going to come in the next ten minutes since they had been on clean up duty for their class.

"Is Kirishima dragging Kacchan by the collar?" Midoriya muttered, rubbing his eyes as his green eyes gawked at the two distant figures coming towards them. For a brief moment, no one said a word as they tried to process what was happening. Why was Kirishima here? Not that Naruto had a problem. She liked her classmate but this was unexpected. _But I guess in a good way because I get to see someone drag Bakugou by the collar._

Her lips curled into a smile.

"Hi Uzumaki!" Kirishima grinned and waved his free hand at her as he proceed to haul Bakugou towards them. Temari raised a single eyebrow, not one bit impressed at the sight before her, and Naruto shrugged. "I brought you one angry puppy!"

"Screw you! I'm not an angry puppy and who the fuck told you to drag me here?"

Kirishima looked down at Bakugou. "It would be uncool and unmanly of you to fucking bail on Uzumaki in the last minute and for the sake of our class harmony and peace, I felt it was my manly duty to bring you here."

Naruto curled her lips into a smile while Yaoyorozu wrinkled her nose at the language used between the two boys. The other teens just stared at the two boys, uncertain of whether to laugh at what just happened, or to gawked at the fact that Kirishima had the guts to even drag Bakugou here.

_I want this to last forever._ The blond-haired girl sighed and shook her head as Bakugou continued to scream at Kirishima. Her eyebrows knitted together and she flickered her eyes to the Suna Nin, who all frowned. _They sense another chakra presence here too, don't they?_ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and darted her eyes around the floor, only to pause at the sight of familiar brown eyes.

Naruto blinked and frowned. Had she imagined _him_? It had been years since the blonde last saw the Third Hokage's oldest son. It must be some kind of trick that her mind was playing on her. She bobbed her head and looked at Gaara, who was darting his eyes everywhere.

"I can't pinpoint the source." Gaara muttered under his breath. "They suppressed their chakra to the point that we can't detect them."

She sighed and pressed her lips into a very thin line. That would make sense but who would be following them? Were they targeting her friends? Naruto grimaced. Which one of her friends was this person targeting? Naruto looked down at her scratched arms, grimacing as her friends chatted between them.

"Sorry, we are late!" Both Itsuka and Tokage took in several shaky breaths, bright smiles playing on their lips as they took in the members of Class 1A and the Suna nin. Naruto waved off their apologies and proceeded with her usual introduction of the three Suna nin. _There is nobody else._ God, who knew introducing people so many times could be so tiring? No, the repeated process of introducing the same people again.

Tokage flickered her eyes to Bakugou, lips curled into a frown before proceeding to take her spot right beside Naruto. The green-haired girl nudged the blonde in the ribs, forcing the blond-haired girl to look at her friend. The blonde raised her eyebrow as Tokage tilted her head.

"Why does Explosive Head look like a party pooper?"

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "Isn't he always a party pooper?"

"If you thought he was one then you wouldn't invite him," Tokage said dryly, tapping the side of her forehead as a smile decorated her face. _Well she isn't wrong._ There might have been times when Bakugou did make her smile alongside times when she wanted to throttle him. "So what is the problem with him?"

"Kirishima dragged him here because he thought it would be unmanly for Bakugou to bail on us in the last minute," Tokage hummed and bobbed her head while Naruto eyed Bakugou. "So he is probably a party pooper for that reason alone."

"He really isn't a people person, is he?" Tokage sighed and shook her head with an amused smile playing on her lips.

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "You only realized it now? What did you think his nickname, scowls and language were? The signs of someone with people skills?"

"I took it as his charm," Tokage shrugged and stared at the scowling boy with a tiny smirk playing on her lips. Was her friend insane? Did she need to check her in the hospital? Because there was absolutely no charm in the nicknames he used or in any of his behavior.

The blond-haired girl sighed and looked at her friend. "You are an absolute weirdo, do you know that?"

"Everyone is a weirdo! I'm just proud to admit that I like being one."

Well Naruto could admit that there was some truth behind her words.

* * *

If you asked Naruto if she recalled what happened in the movie that they had just watched, she would admit that she slept through half of the movie. She agreed for the comedy movie with the hope that it wouldn't put her to sleep. Instead Naruto ended up sleeping on Shouto's shoulder as the people behind them laughed. Naruto sighed and scowled as her friends and her took the escalator.

"It was your idea to watch a movie, Whiskers and you just slept through the movie!" Bakugou grumbled, turning his head and narrowing his eyes at her. Naruto rubbed the back of her neck, ignoring the sympathetic looks from the pedestrians and her friends. Shouto just stared at her with eyes flashing with concern.

Why didn't Shouto wake her up, she didn't know but she did know that Shouto's shoulder was the best place to rest her head on.

"I can't help but sleep," Naruto folded her arms against her chest and puffed her cheeks. "It has been a really long day for me."

Shouto flickered his eyes to the fading scratches peeking out from the sleeve of her hoodie, pressing his lips into a thin line as Bakugou scowled at her. Her mismatch friend lowered his head slightly, his icy-hot breath tickling her ears and Naruto tightened her grip on the handrail. "Have you been training throughout the whole night again?"

Naruto bobbed her head. She might have gotten to the next stage of the Senjutsu training but it had been difficult for her to remain motionless on top of the peak of the mountains. _I kept getting distracted because of Shouto's words._ She chewed on her lips and felt the blood rushing straight to her cheeks as she recalled what happened yesterday between them.

"It was a terrible movie." Naruto jerked her head and jumped off the escalator as Yaoyorozu looked at their classmates. Tsuyu and Ochako bobbed their heads in agreement while Itsuka hummed, not bothering to disagree with the black-haired girl. Temari nodded while Kankuro shook his head. Bakugou just grunted, not giving his opinion, while Tokage tilted her head as if uncertain about what to make a movie.

Gaara eyed the teens. "The plot of that movie made no sense."

"Was there even a plot?" Shouto asked as he stood beside her. The mismatch boy tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows, looking absolutely curious to know if anyone could make sense of the plot. _He looks so cute when he is confused._ Naruto curled her lips into a smile and flickered her eyes to her friends before shrugging her shoulders.

"Don't look at me! I slept through half of the movie." Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. Kirishima frowned and turned his head at her. He tilted his head to the side, eyebrows knitted together as everyone came to a stop in front of the information counter. Naruto raised her eyebrow at him.

"I don't know how you can sleep through the movie when the people behind us was laughing like maniacs or when Kankuro-san kept stomping the ground to stop himself from laughing," Kirishima grumbled. Midoriya bobbed his head in agreement while Kankuro scowled at them. Temari bobbed her head in agreement while Itsuka and Tokage tilted their heads at her.

"Are you a heavy sleeper, Naruto-chan?" Itsuka asked.

Tokage bobbed her head and grinned. "She has to be if she could sleep through half of the movie."

"Or maybe she was enjoying the comfort of IcyHot's shoulder." Both Naruto and Shouto flushed a deep shade of red as Bakugou eyed the two of them. The blond-haired girl rubbed the back of her neck and avoided the knowing eyes of her female friends while the boys just stared at Shouto. _I cannot hit my friend even if he is being an ass._ She unclenched her hands and curled her lips into a smile.

"The two of you were very cozy with each other during the movie," Asui said, eyeing them with a knowing glint as a smile played on her lips. Naruto flushed a deeper shade of red and rubbed the back of her neck. _I need to change the topic!_ The more they talked about what happened between her and Shouto in the movie, the more likely her blush was never going to fade. Yaoyorozu smiled and laughed, black eyes twinkling with amusement.

"So should we go to the arcades?" Everyone blinked and raised their eyebrows at the blushing blond-haired girl. Naruto straightened her back and grinned at them, hoping and praying that they would just stop teasing them about what happened. "Why is everyone looking at me like that? I have never been to the arcades before and since there is time…why don't we go there?"

"You have never been to the arcade, Uzumaki-chan?" Uraraka blinked and gawked while the various members of the group stared at her. Kirishima and Bakugou looked at her like she was some kind of weirdo for never having gone to one. Kankuro, Temari and Gaara tilted their heads and frowned, looking absolutely at loss of what they were talking about. Yaoyorozu's eyes lit up and the girl clapped her hands together.

"I spent most of my life working," Naruto explained, rubbing the back of her neck. Her blue eyes softened as a pair of lilac eyes flashed before her alongside the harsh eyes of her best friend's father. "And well my village doesn't have one."

"We haven't been to an arcade before too," Temari admitted as her teal eyes fixated on her youngest brother. Gaara raised his non-existent eyebrow at his sister but the blond-haired woman grunted, looking away from him. "We never had any time for it."

"My family thought the arcades were a waste of time," Yaoyorozu admitted. Everyone swirled their heads at the black-haired girl and frowned. She straightened her back and looked at the smiling kids before flickering her eyes to them as a hopeful smile blossoms in her face. Naruto frowned. _Did they make her focus all of her time in her studies?_ That was kind of sad.

Itsuka grinned and put her arm around Naruto's shoulder, green eyes flashing with delight as the other members of the group bobbed their heads. "Well we should fix that, shouldn't we? Since nearly half of the people in this group haven't been to the arcades, then we should head our way there and have some fun!"

Everyone bobbed their heads and Naruto looked at her friends. How could she be so lucky to have friends like them? Does she really deserve this? But babies deserved to be happy and so maybe it wasn't wrong for her to have some form of happiness. _Mikoto-obaachan would want me to be happy, wouldn't she? Even though I failed to bring him back the first time._ She looked at her hands.

Mikoto-obaachan would have wanted her to be happy.

_You should smile, Naru-chan._

Naruto's throat burned at the memory of those words and the blond-haired girl looked up to the ceiling. She couldn't change the past but her future was going to be bright. It was going to be filled with smiles and when that day come, Naruto could look at her first friend without rage and hurt.

Her first priority was going to be herself.

* * *

Teenagers from this part of the world were very strange if you asked Gaara. They constantly screamed when someone defeated them in a game or maybe that was only Naruto's friend Bakugou? He doesn't know. Maybe he was the weird one here. Gaara sighed and clasped his hands together as Naruto and Bakugou shoot down a couple of weird creatures. _I think they were called zombies._ He shook his head.

"You aren't going to play anymore games?" Gaara tore his eyes away from Naruto and shifted his attention to the black-haired girl standing beside him. _Naruto called her Yaoyorozu._ He nodded and placed his hands into his pockets as his eyes went to the dance game, where Naruto's green haired friend was dancing against a brown-haired girl. He shifted his attention to the motorbike games, where his sister and brother were competing against each other.

"The games are very loud." Yaoyorozu nodded and Gaara flickered his eyes to the games with the stirring wheel. The other three boys and that orange-haired girl were racing against each other. He darted his eyes back to the girl. "You?"

"The game I'm interested in is being occupied by Asui-san," Yaoyorozu pointed to the puzzle game that the other green-haired girl was playing. "So I'm waiting for my turn."

Gaara bobbed his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Does he continue the conversation? Or does he let the conversation stop? His siblings weren't here to help guide him and Naruto seemed occupied with trying to maintain her top score against her friend. He inhaled and exhaled, schooling his expression while a couple of boys looked back at them. He raised a single non-existent eyebrow at them and the boys gulped, looking away from them.

_I still need to work on my appearance._

"So what was Uzumaki like as a kid?" Gaara blinked and looked away from the boys, eyes now locked onto Yaoyorozu. The black-haired girl fixated her black eyes on Naruto, head tilted to the side and eyebrows scrunched together as if trying to imagine Naruto's childhood self. Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line and closed his eyes.

"_Hey! Hey! Don't you want to know my name?"_ Naruto's bright cheerful smile flashed before his eyes alongside her loud words and Gaara looked at the blond-haired girl playing in front of them. _I thought she was weak but I was wrong._ There were a lot of things that he was wrong about, but Naruto opened his eyes. He would always be grateful for her for stopping him when she did. But it should have never been her duty.

He should have tried harder.

"_I vow to win."_

No one had confidence that Naruto would be able to defeat Neji but the girl won just like she vowed. Her words had been dripping with arrogance or so they thought. Gaara sighed. It just showed a person should never presume something from a person's appearance or behavior. He darted his eyes to the curious girl standing beside him. "Confident, very loud, rude but Naruto was also very kind."

"Beat you, Whiskers!"

"You only beat me because I blinked! I want a rematch, Blasty!"

Yaoyorozu sighed and stared at the arguing blond-haired students before flickering her eyes at him. She shook her head and her black eyes seemed to sadden as a small frown played on her lips. "Uzumaki-san has every right to be confident. You watched her during the Sports Festival, haven't you? She came first in everything and always won her matches quite quickly."

Doubt seemed to lace her tone as a forced smile played on her lips, earning a frown and sigh from Gaara. He might not recall her name that quickly but her match had been hard to forget. _Ten seconds flat for Bakugou to defeat her._ He looked at Naruto, sighing when the girl moved onto the dancing battle game.

"You are comparing yourself to her now that you have seen how she fights, don't you?" He shifted his attention onto the black-haired girl. Black eyes widened, lips parting at his question and Gaara sighed. What should he do? Should he encourage her? He should. That would be something Naruto would do. It was something a good leader should do. Yaoyorozu focused her attention on Naruto.

Yaoyorozu slumped her shoulders. "Uzumaki-san was very quick when it came to her matches and I lost my match in less than a second."

Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line and rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes fixated on Naruto. A smile was playing on her lips as she battled against that red-haired boy. Standing behind them was Todoroki, who seemed intent on watching the dance fight with a small smile. _Something is different between them._ He shook his head and looked at the girl.

"There were two reasons for why you lost your match so quickly." Gaara straightened his back and looked up at Yaoyorozu, hands clasped together. "The first reason is because you weren't quick enough against Bakugou and the second reason was because you were overthinking things, which delayed your time to make a weapon to counteract his explosions."

Yaoyorozu blinked. "That is a very quick analysis. You recalled my fight?"

"It is hard to forget," Gaara admitted, looking at the black-haired girl. "It might have been quick but your Quirk is amazing and powerful with a lot of uses. The only thing holding you back will be your experience…I think."

Actually Gaara was pretty certain that it was her lack of experience when it came to fights that held her back.

"Experience, huh?"

Gaara bobbed his head. "Once you gain experience, you will do a lot of amazing things. Even though your matches didn't showcase it, what you did in order to get over those robots showed that you are a brilliant strategist."

Yaoyorozu blinked and smiled at him, black eyes twinkling at his words. The red-haired teen just stared at her, teal eyes widening at the sight of a girl smiling at him. _Maybe I'm better at this encouraging thing?_ He doesn't know but he did know that his heart felt a little bit lighter at the knowledge that he helped someone.

Maybe he didn't need Naruto to help him interact with people his own age.

* * *

Had it been a good idea for them to go to the arcade? It had been fun until Bakugou kept demanding a rematch in a racing game. _I had to intentionally lose just so I can be free._ Shouto sighed and slipped his hands in his pockets, mismatch eyes focused on Gaara and Bakugou's race before shifting his attention to the dancing game. He curled his lips into a tiny frown as Midoriya and Uraraka played against each other.

He doesn't know where the others were.

"Why the hell is it so damn hard to get a stuffed animal!" Shouto blinked and swirled his head to his left, lips curled into a tiny smile at the sight of Naruto's scowl. The blond-haired girl had her arms against the claw machine, blue eyes locked onto the bright orange stuffed fox. Longing colored her features and Naruto slumped her shoulders.

The mismatch boy fingered the coin inside his pants pocket. Only one coin and that meant he only had one chance to help his friend get the stuffed fox that she wanted. Nodding his head, Shouto tapped Naruto on the shoulder and the blond-haired girl swirled her head around. Blue eyes widened and she knitted her eyebrows.

"Shouto? What are you doing?" Silence hung between them as Shouto gestured for the girl to move to the side of the claw machine. Naruto frowned and tilted her head at him as the screams of their friends echoed throughout the arcade. The blonde knitted her eyebrows and tapped her feet against the floor. "Wait, do you like stuffed animals?"

_Not since my mother left._ The words were on the tip of his tongue but Shouto bit his tongue. Not the time to open up to his friend, not when he wanted to see that smile of hers. _I mean I just wanna make some happy memories with everyone._ Shouto locked his eyes on the stuffed fox, palms sweating as he slipped the coin inside the claw machine.

_30 seconds. _He only had 30 seconds to get that stuffed fox and Shouto inhaled. He moved the claw to the side, where Naruto had dropped in her earlier turn. He inhaled and exhaled as Naruto moved closer to the claw machine, blue eyes widening when Shouto pressed the button. The claw dropped down, opening its reach and grabbing hold of the orange fox.

_Twenty seconds._

He needed to hurry things up. Shouto moved the stuffed fox carefully, eyebrows knitted together and mismatch eyes focused on the opening of the case. _It looks approximately right._ Naruto's breath hitched when the claw hit the display window. _Please don't drop the fox._ He relaxed his shoulders and moved the claw gently back into position of the opening of the case.

_Six seconds_.

Shouto slammed the palm of his hand against the button, releasing the stuffed fox from the grip of the claw and into the opening of the case.

_This should cheer her up._ Shouto knelt down and removed the stuffed fox from the claw machine. Mismatch eyes focused on the stuffed orange fox, turning it around to look at the white belly. He curled his lips into a tiny smile and pushed himself up. Naruto just stared at the fox, lips curled into a smile but her blue eyes shone with sadness. "You actually got a stuffed animal."

Shouto bobbed his head and placed the fox into her arms. Naruto blinked and blinked before looking down at the stuffed fox in her hands. There was no smile playing on her lips nor a frown, just her blond eyebrows knitted together. _Didn't she like it?_ He rubbed the back of his neck as his heart dropped slightly. Maybe it had been a bad idea.

"Why did you give it to me?" Softness and confusion laced her tone and the girl shut her eyes. She hunched her shoulders, tightened her grip on the fox before jerking her head up at him.

Naruto's smile flashed before his eyes and Shouto looked down at his friend. He placed his hands on the top of her shoulders, noticing not for the first time how large his hands were compared to her shoulders, and he lowered his voice. "Didn't you want the stuffed fox?"

"But why did you give it to me?" Naruto cleared her throat and those bright blue eyes became misty. "You won the stuffed fox so it is only right that you keep it."

Shouto nodded and allowed his fingers to move onto her teary eyes, rubbing away the flowing tears from her eyes. Were the tears from happiness? Or was she upset with him? He doesn't know. To be honest, he didn't even know what had been happening between them. He just knew of only one thing when it came to his friend. It was the one thing Shouto was certain that would never change between them.

"Because I want you to be happy and see you smile, Naruto."

Mismatch eyes widened when Naruto shook her head and launched herself at him. His cheeks burned a dark shade of red as he wrapped his arms around her, swinging the girl slightly as he tried to catch his bearing of what happened. His cheeks burned even more as his mind processed the fact Naruto's soft chest was rubbed against his own. _Could this last just a little bit longer?_ He blinked and looked down at Naruto.

Neither of them noticed a dark-skinned man with sunglasses watching them with a knowing glint in his eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the interaction between Gaara and Yaoyorozu?


	38. Chapter 37

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"Are you sure that you want to go in there, Kenji?"

Kenji kept his eyes fixated on the large opened gates of Konoha as Riku stared at him with concern eyes. It had taken them two days to run here with no sleep and only stopping at the nearest village or town to eat. Was it a good idea to come here instead of going back home to their families? He wouldn't know until he faced the Hokage. He turned his head to his distant cousin and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you worried about?"

Riku sighed, pressed his lips into a thin line, and stared at him. "You aren't exactly the epitome of emotional control whenever it comes to a member of our clan. Are you sure you will keep your temper in check?"

"I have no right to be furious when we did nothing for her," Kenji took another step forward and stared at the gates. "And this is not about my desire. This is about the clan making up the wrongs that we made for Kushina and her child."

His distant relative put his hands over the back of his head and stared at the looming gates. "Kenji, there is nothing we can do to earn her forgiveness. She spent fifteen years alone, can anyone forgive our clan after what ? We will be lucky if she wants anything to do with us."

Kenji sighed and looked at the gates looming over them before staring down at the identification card made when he had been a child. Lucky. Yeah, it would either be luck if Naruto decided she wanted to get to know them or Naruto was a kid capable of looking past anything. If the child wanted nothing to do with them, they would have to respect her wishes. But he would give her what she was owed.

"Should we even ask to be forgiven by her?" Riku blinked and Kenji looked at the gates, closing his eyes. A pair of solemn turquoise eyes flashed before him alongside the sad eyes of his son. _I will never forgive Endeavour for what he put my mother and my siblings through, Eisuke!_ That had been only family abuse. Naruto faced a whole village worth of abuse. He sighed.

Riku eyed him and frowned. "Aren't you planning to apologize to her?"

"Apologizing for our actions doesn't mean we deserve to be forgiven, you of all people should know that." Kenji stared at his cousin and pressed his lips into a thin line. His cousin closed his eyes and grimaced. "Apologizing and making up for what we did to her and Kushina is a given but it doesn't mean everything is going to be okay. How long did it take for your oldest daughter to forgive you for marrying another woman after just one year of the death of your wife?"

"Years." Riku sighed. "Even after Chika was born, she still treated my wife and me with coldness. She loves Chika but she always blamed me for not saving her."

Kenji nodded. "Now imagine Naruto. She probably had no one while she was growing up, probably kicked through the mud like you told me and there is very little chance she would forgive us for this. It isn't our place or right to ask forgiveness and saying sorry won't make up for what we did."

Riku stared at him and doesn't try to convince him about how he might be wrong. Not that Kenji would listen to him or believe him, not when his cousin still had issues with his own family. He sighed. The only person who seemed to have the least problems with their family was probably Asa.

The red-haired man shook his head and walked through the opened gates, hazel eyes locked on the buildings in front of him. Nothing seemed to be different in terms of architecture, looking almost exactly the same as the last time he visited. There seemed to be a group of shinobi walking together with a dog, no doubt getting ready for a mission, and Kenji pressed his lips. _Inuzaka Clan, Hyuga and…Aburame?_ He doesn't know much about Aburame clan.

He was never interested in them.

Kenji shook his head while the three shinobi stared at him and Riku, their eyes fixated on the redness of his hair before flickering their eyes to Riku's violet eyes. _We need to make a statement._ He grunted as a lilac-eyed girl pressed her lips into a frown, eyes narrowing at the colour of his hat. Kenji just took another step forward.

"Halt, state your name and business in Konoha." The shinobi called out from the booth, stopping Kenji in his tracks. Riku eyed him and Kenji grunted, strolling straight to the booth as the shinobi eyed them. His lone black eye seemed fixated on the swirl in his headband.

"Uzumaki Kenji and Uzumaki Riku," the man blinked and from the corner of Kenji's eyes, he could see the teens gawking at them. They knitted their eyebrows, well most of them did, but the girl with the lavender hair stared at him with expressionless eyes.

"Uzumaki?" The man muttered. He knitted his eyebrows and looked at the identification card, eyebrows rising to the hairline at the sight of his birthplace and age. Kenji tapped his feet impatiently, eyebrows twitching as those teen shinobi gazed at him with wide eyes. "You are from Uzushiokagure? I'm sorry but I've never heard—"

"How old are you, kid?"

The guard blinked. "What? I'm 27."

"And how old would you be in the start of the last war?" The man knitted his eyebrows as Kenji leaned his body forward, fingers tapping the desk. Riku eyed him, lips curled into a frown, and Kenji rolled his eyes. He wanted the kid to connect the dots because there was no way he would keep his voice pleasant if he explained.

"Four," the man answered slowly. "Why are you asking this?"

"Because I will explain it in a nutshell," Kenji answered slowly as he kept his expression blank. "My village was destroyed in the beginning of that war. Now I'm not here to give you a fucking history lesson that your Academy should have taught you, I'm here to talk to your Hokage about a contract and our treaty. Please tell them that the Uzushiokage wants to talk to them about the contract made 33 years ago with my predecessor."

The man opened his mouth to protest but Kenji narrowed his eyes. Was he going to do this the easy way when he was feeling polite? Or was he going to do it the tough way? The young man gulped and nudged his partner to wake up, whispering a couple of words to his ears, before sprinting out of the guard house.

"Do you wish for me to direct you there, Uzushiokage-sama?" The other guard asked, straightening his back and forcing a smile to play on his lips.

Kenji eyed him. "Has the location changed from 25 years ago?"

The man shook his head and Kenji grunted. "Then no. Riku and I can show ourselves there."

He wanted to take in the sights of the village before he faced the government that broke the very contract that his grandfather created to give Kushina and her descendants an easier life.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, we have a Kage whose is on his way to meet you right now!"

Tsunade looked away from her poker game, lips curled into a scowl and eyebrows knitted together as Sakura relaxed her shoulders. Izumo trembled and gulped, clutching his chest as if he ran as fast as he could to inform them. What kind of Kage would come here without informing her? She put down her cards and eyed the chunin.

"Kage? Be more specific!" Sakura winced and gulped, inching away from the table. Tsunade grunted, not one bit surprised by the behaviour of her apprentice. If the girl hadn't proven herself through the tests she made her do, Tsunade would have turned away. Just asking to be her apprentice with determined eyes wasn't going to be enough for her.

"H-He says he is the Uzushiokage." Izumo shifted in his spot and eyed the photos of the previous Hokage. Silence hung between them as they processed what the man had just told them. Green eyes widened and then it knitted together, looking absolutely confused and Tsunade inhaled deeply, ribs stretching to the point it cracked.

"Who is the Uzushiokage, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura flickered her eyes from Izumo to Tsunade with her eyebrows knitted together. She tilted her head, lips curled into a frown as Tsunade tapped her fingers against the table of her desk. Dread and curiosity began to stir in the older woman's stomach as there could be only be one reason for the leader to come here.

"The Uzushiokage is the leader of Uzushiokagure," The pink-haired girl blinked and the blond-haired woman pressed her lips into a thin line. She poured herself another glass of sake, honey brown eyes fading away. _My brother is going to come here with his youngest granddaughter, Tsun-chan. I hope you will make her feel at home._ Tsunade sighed. "And the head of the Uzumaki Clan."

Sakura blinked and swirled her head at her. "Uzumaki Clan?"

"The Uzumaki Clan is the sister clan of the Senju Clan, my mother's clan." Tsunade explained slowly as she swirled the sake cup. Brown eyes locked onto the image of her solemn grandfather, an image that never really suited him. From the limited memories of her early childhood, her grandfather had always been jolly. "They helped the First Hokage by giving him the funds needed to create Konoha. With just the funds from the Uchiha clan and his own, Grandfather could never make his dream a reality."

Izumo frowned. "But if that was the case then why give Uzumaki Naruto that last name? If they have such a high honour then the Third Hokage shouldn't have given an orphan such a prestigious name."

"The Third Hokage wouldn't have given Naruto that name if he wasn't certain that she had the right to carry that name." Tsunade pressed her lips into a very thin line as Sakura and Izumo blinked, taken back by this knowledge. Couldn't they use their heads? The Third may have been kind and even soft in the eyes of certain people but he wouldn't give Naruto such an important name if he wasn't certain of who her parents were.

The name Namikaze brought more danger to Naruto when they considered the actions that Minato took when it came to the last war.

"Who is the current Uzushiokage?" Tsunade clasped her hands together and exhaled.

Izumo blinked and straightened his back. "I don't really know. There were two men: Uzumaki Kenji and Uzumaki Riku."

"Uzumaki Kenji then." They blinked and stared at her, eyebrows raised at the speed in which she deduced the current Uzushiokage. The Hokage slumped her shoulders and rubbed her knuckles. _Kenji-niisan is going to be the Uzushiokage, Tsunade! So if I want to see him more then either I become the ambassador or become Hokage!_ She cracked her knuckles. "Why is he here?"

Izumo shifted in his feet and ran his hand through his hair. "They want to talk about the treaty between their clan and the village alongside some contract that the Third Hokage made 33 years ago."

Tsunade nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line before taking one gulp of sake. Her honey brown eyes locked onto the two shinobi gathered in front of her alongside the hidden ANBU. If it was from 33 years ago then it had to be around the time Kushina was sent here to become her grandmother's replacement as a jinchuuriki. A replacement that Tsunade only learnt about when her grandmother's brother asked her to watch out for Kushina.

The blond-haired woman sighed and stared at Izumo. "Bring the elders here."

"What! But he wants—"

"I said bring the elders!" Tsunade slammed her hand against the table and the sake bottles jumped up. Izumo gulped and rushed out of the door, slamming it shut and the blond-haired woman relaxed her shoulders. Sakura opened her mouth to question her and the brown-eyed woman narrowed her eyes. Sakura might be her apprentice but this was not a discussion that she should be here.

"Did you finish reading the medical text I lent to you?" The green-eyed girl blinked and nodded her head, earning a frown from the pink-haired girl. Tsunade stood up from her desk and made her way to the shelf, pulling out the next book that Sakura needed to study. She flickered her eyes to the green-eyed girl and tossed the book to her. "Read this by tonight and tomorrow I will test on you. Fail this and you are out."

Sakura nodded and walked out of the room, shoulders straight and Tsunade looked at the photos of the various Hokage that came before her. Her head throbbed as her brown eyes fixated on the image of her grandfather before shifting to Minato. By the end of today, she was going to need a hell lot of sake.

* * *

"Not much has changed except for the Hokage Monument."

Kenji bobbed his head and slipped his hands into his pockets, hazel eyes fixated on the five giant heads of the Hokage while Riku eyed the various people in the streets. Several shinobi stopped on their way, most of them seemed to be around their age, and stared at the Hitai-ate around their foreheads. Kenji had only narrowed his eyes, grunting and hunching his shoulders while his cousin forced a smile.

Riku could keep his cool but Kenji was saving his control for the meeting.

"I noticed," Kenji tore his eyes on the Fourth Hokage's head and pressed his lips into a very thin line. "Minato became Hokage like he always proclaimed but his reign must have been short if they had Tsunade become Hokage."

"Was it a good idea for her to become Hokage? She has that terrible habit of gambling and drinking." Riku eyed their distant relative's image, head tilted to the side and eyebrows raised to his hairline. Kenji grunted. There was no reason for them to judge Konoha for their choice. He wasn't exactly the best choice when it came to being a leader but the job was given to him when his grandfather died.

"I am more interested to know what happened to Kushina and Minato." Kenji straightened his back and schooled his expression as several chunin stole glances at them. He held out their pass, earning nods from the chunin, and flickered his eyes to his distant cousin. The older male grimaced and looked at the monument.

"We can make a rough guess on what happened to Kushina but what about Minato?" Riku tapped his chin and looked at the mountain. "Do you think he was the one that broke—"

"Most likely," Kenji grunted. "Minato was smart but the kid could be so fucking naïve on how the world worked. Pansy always had this strange idea of always being the hero and how people think. Kid never understood the reason Kushina kept her status a secret; he thinks everyone can be as understanding as him."

"Minato was always weird," Riku pressed his lips into a thin line and eyed him. "I heard some of his ideas of what he planned to do if he ever became Hokage. Some of the things that he wished to accomplish sounds like the laws they have in Japan."

Kenji bobbed his head. "I think the pansy would have suited being in Japan more then being here. The way he thinks was always so god damn different from the things here. It is miracle Kushina went for a weirdo like him."

Riku chuckled and Kenji stared at him as his chest burned from the various memories that played inside his mind. Violet eyes twinkling with joy as she introduced her boyfriend to him. Blue eyes reassuring him that he would never abandon Kushina. The laughter that echoed in Minato teammate's ramen stand. He cleared his throat and looked away from the monument to only blink at the sight of Ichiraku ramen.

"_Kenji-niisan! Minato teammate makes the best ramen in all of Konoha! Can you please buy me some ramen!"_

His throat burned.

"_I won't have any money if I buy you ramen! Get your boyfriend to do it!"_

He clenched his hands into a fist.

"_Meanie! You just want to use that money to try and hook up with one of those girls from the bars, aren't you?"_

He did end up buying her ramen and came out of that stand a lot more poorer.

"Kenji?" Kenji blinked his eyes as his cousin waved his hand over his eyes, eyebrows knitted together. The red-haired man relaxed his shoulders, cleared his throat and looked at the stand before him. His eyes itched to cry for the loss of his cousin but Kenji chewed on his tongue. The stupid crying could be done at her grave.

"Before we leave Konoha, we should have some ramen in Ichiraku." Riku blinked and gawked at him as Kenji stared at the stand before him. _Kenji-niisan! You are the best cousin!_ No, he was not. If he had been a better cousin, he would have come here and tell her about their new home. He should have been there when she had Naruto. But instead he went to Japan, angry and bitter with what the villages had done to them.

Kushina loved Konoha and Kenji didn't want to taint her love for the village. By the time, he felt like he was ready to face her…Eisuke had been born and the fear of not being there for his son had been great. Death through protecting your family and village was honourable but Kenji never wanted Eisuke to grow up without a father.

So he stayed away and had the naïve belief that maybe Kushina would be okay since she had Minato.

"Ramen? But you haven't eaten ramen since…"

"Ichiraku makes the best ramen," Kenji explained as his eyes fixated on the brown-haired girl leaving the ramen stand, greeted with a kiss by another man. A civilian by the looks of it. Riku's violet eyes softened and offered him a small smile, placing his hand on top of Kenji's shoulder.

"I guess you would know better than anyone." Riku patted his back and looked to the Fourth Hokage. "We will eat as much salt ramen as you want Kenji."

He wondered if ramen would ever taste the same.

* * *

**A/N: **What do you think of this chapter? And of the series in general? What do you think of the pace of the story?


	39. Chapter 38

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"So glad to see you, Hokage-sama and elders. I'm so glad you had the time to meet us."

Kenji bowed slightly and stared at the elders and the Hokage. They eyed him, their eyes lingering on the annoying hat that Riku forced him to wear, before looking at his eyes. Out of the four people in front of him, only Tsunade didn't look like she aged all that much. _She never did like it when someone made a comment about her aging._ He straightened his back and looked at them.

"It isn't everyday, my presumed two deceased relatives will come here." Tsunade gestured for him and Riku to take a seat right in front of her. Kenji doesn't smile, only taking the offered seat as his hazel eyes fixated on the faces of the Hokage that had came before his cousin. He pressed into a thin line at the sight of Minato's photo. "What brought you here?"

"Indeed," Danzo eyed them. "What caused you to come to Konoha? And why now of all times?"

Kenji clasped his hands together and pressed his lips into a very thin line. _It means she had been discriminated over there. _ Irritation crept into his blood, ready for him to unleash his growing temper. He inhaled and exhaled as his heart smashed itself against his ribs. He leaned his body forward.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The elders stiffened and Kenji eyed them. "Interesting girl…looks exactly like Kushina except for her bright blond hair and blue eyes. Mind telling me how Kushina's daughter ended up becoming a Jinchuuriki? And what happened to her father?"

The elders looked at them and grimaced. Kenji raised his eyebrows, tapped his fingers against the table while his cousin folded his arms against his chest. Tsunade pressed her lips into a very thin line at those words. Kenji clasped his hands together, gazing deeply into their eyes.

"As you know, the seal weakens during child birth." Koharu cleared her throat and looked at them. "As we didn't know about you and your clan being alive, we took every precaution of making sure that Kushina would give birth to Naruto without any problems. Minato, her father, was the one keeping the seal tight as agreed."

Riku frowned and looked at him, violet eyes shining with concern. _So far, things were making sense._ Kenji placed his tongue against his cheek and looked at the photo of the Fourth Hokage. As much as it pained him to admit this, Minato was pretty good with seals. Probably just as good as Kushina, maybe even better.

"And what happened next?"

Danzo cleared his throat. "We do not know what happened but someone must have interfered during the day of Naruto's birth. We believed that the Uchiha Clan may have been involved since their Sharingan has the ability of controlling the Kyuubi, hence the attack."

"The Uchiha Clan?" Kenji shook his head. "That wouldn't make any sense. They helped the Senju clan create this very village if they wanted it destroyed then they would have done it years ago when Madara had been alive. There has to be another explanation."

Tsunade pressed her lips into a thin line. "No one can answer for the events of that day. All everyone knows is that Minato used the Hakke no Fuin Shiki to seal the Kyuubi in Naruto."

_Hakke no Fuin Shiki?_ Kenji rubbed his forehead and felt the ache inside of his head growing louder. Tsunade pressed her lips into a thin line, poured some sake and blinked when he shook his head. Riku chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as their distant relative raised an eyebrow at them.

He tuned Riku out as he explained quietly to Tsunade about the reason he avoided drinking. _The Hakke no Fuin Shiki? Why did he use that seal? That seal wouldn't be enough to withhold the whole Kyuubi._ He narrowed his eyes and looked at his two distant cousins. It also wouldn't be enough to kill Minato.

Something was not adding up.

"How did Minato die? Tell me exactly how Minato could die from making the Hakke no Fuin Shiki seal." The Konoha council blinked and Kenji stared at them. "That seal wouldn't be the cause of Minato dying. I have been making seals since I was six, now tell me the truth. How did Minato die! And what happened to the other parts of the Kyuubi! Naruto would have been too young to carry the whole thing."

Homura thinned his lips. "From our understanding with the Third Hokage, Minato sealed one half of the Kyuubi in Naruto while sealing the other half inside of him through the Shiki Fujin seal."

Kenji curled his hands into a fist as rage began to consume him. A part of him wanted to blame the pansy for not protecting Kushina better. He wanted to tell the pansy, he took the easy way out because he had a daughter that needed him. But Kenji also knew the man had a duty to this village. Minato had no choice but to use that seal, because the other seal would require Naruto knowing chakra chains.

"Now how did the information of who was the third Jinchuuriki was leaked out to everyone in this village." The elders blinked and stared at him while Tsunade pressed her lips into a very thin line, looking very uncomfortable at the question.

Homura cleared her throat. "Only the adults and the shinobi involved in the Kyuubi attack know."

"That doesn't explain to me why _you_ told them." Kenji picked up the sake bottle and twirled the bottle around, hazel eyes fixated on the photo of the First Hokage. He clasped his hands behind his back, stood up from his spot and began to take a walk around the room. "They didn't need to know who was the jinchuuriki."

"What could Minato tell them? That the Kyuubi died?" Danzo eyed him and pressed his lips into a very thin line. "None of the civilians or the adults would believe it."

"You could have simply tell them that the Kyuubi was sealed inside a simple pot," Kenji whispered, hazel eyes narrowing at the man. "No one would know the difference because only someone with some knowledge of sealing would connect the dots. Now tell me who leaked out the information to the civilians?"

"We don't know who it is and we can't track down who did it," Koharu informed him and Kenji flickered his eyes to the three elders. All three of them seemed confident but Kenji could smell the subtle increase of sweat coming from Danzo. _He knows something._ Kenji clenched his hands into a fist and then unclenched it.

He eyed them. "Very convenient."

"Are you implying that it is one of us?" Homura narrowed his eyes at him. He clenched his jaws togethers, eyes narrowing at what Kenji seemed to have hinted. The red-haired man held his hands up while Riku looked at him, lips pressed into a very thin line as he came stand next to him. His cousin clasped his hand on his shoulder.

"_Don't go accusing them when we don't have any proof,"_ his cousin hissed in his ear. "_One wrong move and we will be leaving without our heads."_

Kenji grunted and shrugged his cousin's hands off of him. "No, I just find it strange that you have no way of finding the little mole who leaked the information."

"It had been an ongoing investigation for years," Tsunade cracked her knuckles and looked at the three elders. Her honey brown eyes lingered the most on Danzo but the man just started back at her. "But the moment we find the evidence and trail of the person that leaked the information to the public, we will deal with them."

Kenji curled his lips into a smile and returned to his seat. Hazel eyes glimmer and the man clasped his hands together, hazel eyes locked onto the eyes of his distant cousin. Tsunade pressed her lips together, eyebrows twitching while Riku gazed at him with concern. He picked up Tsunade's glass, moving it around in circles. "You? No. _The Uzumaki clan_ will deal with them because your village broke our trust."

"We did no such thing!" Koharu narrowed her eyes at him and Kenji clenched his jaws as the glass in his hands cracked. The pieces of glass fell down to the ground, leaving only the blood of Kenji's hand. Did it sting? He wouldn't know. "How dare you—"

"Oh? You did not break our trust?" Kenji nodded and inhaled. _No one likes an emotional fool, Kenji!_ The words of his grandfather echoed in his ears and the middle-aged man exhaled. "Then why did Naruto mention she wasn't allowed to many restaurants? Why was a _child of my clan_ abused? Why did you break the second condition of the contract made by the Third Hokage and my predecessor?"

He kept his voice soft and low, standing up from his seat and circling the elders of the village. Hazel eyes locked onto every single one of them as he eyed the nice clothes they wore. Riku eyed him but he narrowed his eyes at his cousin. Riku pressed his lips into a very thin line and returned back to his seat. "Do you remember what was the second condition, elders? Or would you like me to jog your memory?"

Silence hung between them as their eyes widened. _So they do remember the conditions and they know the consequence._ Kenji bobbed his head and looked to the photos of the First Hokage. Akira commented about how fun the man had been and how open he could be. Kenji used to believe her but now he had doubts. He had so many doubts.

"Let me remind you of the second condition if you forgot," he whispered into Danzo's ears and the man narrowed his eyes at him. "That Kushina _and her descendents_ are treated with equal respect to all of the shinobi clan. Do you know what that means? It means she was to be treated fairly. It means that Naruto should have been able to go to any place without being kicked out. Now tell me…_why have you forgotten what our clan gave to this village?_"

"The clan was dead." Koharu argued. "The contract wasn't seen valid since—"

"As long as she had our last name, the clan would be considered alive!." Kenji slammed his hands onto the table. "You think a contract should be the reason is invalid? Do you care so little of what we did for you? You should have honored the contract for what we did for your First Hokage till now!"

The elders pressed their lips into a thin line and looked at each other while Tsunade rubbed her forehead. _You think you are having a bad day, I'm having a even worse one._ He eyed the sake and clenched his hands into a fist. Not the time. Drinking sake would just make the whole thing worse. He unclenched his hands.

"Uzushiokage-sama—"

"We gave the funds for the First Hokage and Madara to make their dream a reality," he whispered. "You may be willing to forget but let me remind you of a history lesson that you wished the younger generation to forget…because _apparently our alliance meant nothing to you_. When the first jinchuuriki was dying, we sent _you_ a child from _our clan_. By all rights, we should have been the village to keep the Kyuubi since _only an Uzumaki_ can contain it."

Tsunade balled her hands into a fist and looked at the elders, who grimaced. Kenji picked up the long broken shard from the sake glass, twirling it around as images of slicing the throats of the three elders appeared in his mind. _Keep my cool._ He exhaled and pocket the shard into his pocket.

"Are you threatening to take Uzumaki Naruto away from us?" Danzo narrowed his eyes and loomed over him but the red-haired man stood his ground. He straightened his back and leaned his body forward, reminding the man of who was the taller one between them. Danzo narrowed his eyes.

Kenji leaned his body forward, placed his hands on either side of the table, and declared. "By breaking those conditions, I have every right to take away Kushina's daughter from here. However, I will admit that you didn't know we were alive and thus have some right to think the contract wasn't valid…_but I want compensation._ Naruto will still be your jinchuuriki but I want compensation."

"Young man!" Koharu tightened her grip on cane. "You are making a lot of demands. Why should we compensate you? What happened to Uzumaki Naruto was tragic but it is not enough to warrant this."

Riku narrowed his eyes and curled his lips into a thin line. "Is it because we are asking you for compensation? If we came from the Hyuga Clan or even the Nara Clan would you say the same thing? Or is it because we are foreigners? As the Uzushiokage mentioned, we helped the Hokage create Konoha. We handed members of our clan to you! We have the right to demand justice."

"What do you want?" Tsunade inhaled and exhaled as the elders looked at her with wide eyes. The brown-eyed woman looked at the three elders, pressed her lips into a very thin line and clenched her hands into a fist. "Don't you dare look at me like this. I read through the contracts made by the Second Uzushiokage and the Third while you took your sweet time to come here, and it is within their rights."

Kenji eyed the three councilmembers and clasped his hands together. _This could have been avoided so easily if they followed through the contract._ He looked at the various files that seemed to be piled up on the table. How could his relative let it pile up? He shook his head and looked up to the ceiling before looking at them.

"You give back the clan all of the money that the First Uzushiokage gave to the First Hokage." The words hung in the air as several eyes widened at his declaration. Kenji clasped his hands and schooled his expression as the three people looked at him with narrowed eyes. He raised his eyebrows at them.

"This will cripple our economy! See reason—"

"You can't have your cake and eat it too," Kenji raised the hat and stared at the elders. "We let you do things without asking much but it seems like you think we are pushovers. Let me remind you that there will be many villages that would love to use our seals and have an alliance with us. Now think carefully, do you want to be the ones to pay for our services again? To have to beg for a member of our clan again?"

They kept quiet and Kenji curled his lips into a thin smile. _I will remind them time in and time out about who helped this village._ He leaned forward and looked at Tsunade. The blond-haired woman just stared at him with lips pressed into a very thin line. Was she furious for what he demanded? He couldn't really tell with that expression.

"Now give us back the money owed by tomorrow or the alliance between us is over," Kenji looked at them and curled his lips into a very thin smile. "I do hope you can find an Uzumaki that will be willing to come here to seal the Kyuubi if Naruto dies. _Because we don't forget the slights made on us._"

"We will give you the money." Tsunade declared, staring him straight in the eye. Kenji schooled his expression and clasped his hands together. _I can trust you to give me the money that will be our compensation._ He eyed the elders, waiting for them to argue against Tsunade's command. They just grimaced. "Is there any other request?"

"I want the Uzumaki Clan involvement of helping Konoha exist to be taught to everyone in this village," Kenji declared. Several eyes widened and he narrowed his eyes, daring them to call him unreasonable. They just nodded their heads. "And how the village was destroyed."

"Is that all?" Kenji nodded and clasped his hands together as Tsunade looked at the councilmembers. Most of them looked ready to bite him but the desire of using their seals for free must be great. _They must not have many seal masters._ He curled his lips into a smile as Danzo eyed him with lips pressed into a very thin line.

"I have a request," Tsunade declared, brown eyes fixated on him. The words hung between them and Kenji tilted his head, fingers tapping against the table as the elders eyed them. He straightened his back and relaxed his shoulders. _It would be nice to have some extra money._ He might be getting a lot of money for his fake charms but it wasn't the same line of work as being a shinobi.

He wanted to have a challenge again.

"Oh?" Kenji eyed them. "What kind of request?"

Tsunade pressed her lips into a very thin line. "I want you to strengthen the seals around Konoha. We will pay you generously for the work done but security hasn't been the same since Kushina and Minato died. Jiraiya isn't here to strengthen the barrier seals."

"I will do it when you hand the money over," Kenji declared as he eyed Danzo. "It is the least we can do for our _sister village._"

He was probably being petty but they made him this way.

"Thank you," Tsunade said as she rubbed the sides of her head. _I'm only agreeing to this because you were the one to give me my very first sake._ He sighed and looked at the elders. Their eyes revealed no emotions, not allowing him to make out their emotions. He stopped up from his seat and gave a small bow, only to pause at the sight of Minato's photo.

He curled his lips into a frown and looked at the councilmembers and Tsunade. "You know you people are lucky that Naruto has a strong will. The Kyuubi feeds on hate and well without receiving any love from anyone…it is a miracle don't you think that it never escaped in Naruto's time here? Consider that when we tell you _never let anyone know who the Jinchuuriki is and to stop the disrespect to her."_

The elders grinded their teeth and Kenji stared at them. He chewed his tongue, stopping himself from yelling at them. One more wrong move and his clan would be in trouble. Right now, this could be the best thing he could do without being seen as being too demanding.

"You brought this to yourself," Kenji reminded them as Riku opened the door for him. "If you had just followed the contract…well you might still be rich. Now if I were you, I will find the mole and punish him, after all you will need to increase tax and put more shinobi to work…just to get back half of the money we gave you."

_This will never make up for what we did to Naruto but this is the first step of showing the kid that we know we messed up._

He probably needed to make some form of script and run it with his wife because Kenji couldn't mess up again with Naruto.

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think of this chapter?


	40. Chapter 39

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"Naruto."

Naruto stopped in her tracks, blinked and swirled her head around. She curled her lips into a smile at the sight of Shouto standing behind her, hands in his pocket and he strolled to her. Mismatch eyes seemed focused on her own eyes as he stood right beside her. Even though they were not touching, she could feel the heat radiating from him. She chewed on her bottom lip and stared into his mismatch eyes.

"_Because I want you to be happy and see you smile."_

Naruto gulped as her heart fluttered against her chest. She smiled whel the stuffed fox Shouto gave her flashed through her mind. It had been nice for her to have a stuffed animal in her bed._ I always wonder why kids like stuffed animals and now I know._ She smiled even wider and slipped her hands into her skirt pockets as Shouto and her walked in silence.

"So did you get home safely?" Naruto stopped and looked at Shouto, eyebrows raised at the sudden question. He looked at her, arms fiddling with his pockets and the blond-haired girl curled her lips into an even bigger smile. _Last time he asked me this, I had to stop myself from biting his head off._ She looked at her friend.

"Yes," Naruto chuckled and walked closer to Shouto, hands brushing past each other as they walked. "How else would I be here, Shouto?"

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck and flushed a light shade of red, barely noticeable if someone was looking for it. She liked seeing it. It made her heart act like a butterfly whenever she caught sight of it. He avoided looking at her, fixating on the trees to the side. _Confident Shouto is acting so nervous._ He wasn't like this in the beginning of the semester but things changed.

She would like to think she changed too.

"It was a silly question to ask." Shouto muttered under his breath, looking down at his feet. He flickered his eyes to her and blinked when she offered him a tiny smile. Silly? It was. But it showed he cared, didn't it? Shouto probably knew she could take care of herself but it was still nice for him to ask.

Naruto looked up at the clouds. "Maybe but it reminds me when you asked me that in our second week of school."

"You looked at me like I was a weird." Shouto reminded her and Naruto curled her lips into a tiny smile. His eyes seemed lock onto her eyes as if he was searching for something. His eyes flickered to her hands and the blonde looked at Shouto's hands. Compared to her hands, Shouto's hands seemed large. "And then you seemed surprised I asked you that question."

"No one ever asked about my safety," Shouto blinked and Naruto stared at the floating white clouds that seemed to be drifting away. She smiled slightly. "You were probably the first person to ask me the question…even though you asked me during break."

"I didn't know what to tell you," he muttered, looking away from her. _I don't know how to make friends._ The words echoed in her head and blue eyes softened at those words. Shouto curled his lips into a tiny smile and Naruto smiled even wider. She looked to the school building, staring at the large building that loomed over them.

Silence hung between them like the warm blanket on her bed. Her hand brushed against Shouto's hand and the blond-haired girl scooted away. People always mentioned whenever they touched someone they might, possibly, like then there would be electricity. Whenever her hand brushed against Shouto, it was scotching lava that she felt. _Maybe Nejire might be wrong about my feelings?_ She chewed on her bottom lip.

There was probably nothing between them.

"So Gaara," Naruto looked away from the trees and stared at Shouto. The mismatch boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at her with eyebrows knitted together. "How exactly did the two of you became friends? You never really talked about it."

"Because you didn't know about my other job, Shouto." She ran her hand through the tangles of her ponytail and looked at the mismatch boy. Mismatch eyes shone with curiosity and the blonde looked at his hair, wondering how it can be perfectly symmetrical. "Now if I tell you, you might understand it better."

"So you are going to tell me the story," Mismatch eyes gleamed with interest and Shouto leaned closer to her. _He is wearing a new cologne._ She breathed in the scent and flushed a bright shade of red. Oh god. She was doing it again. But this was normal right? It wasn't like she wanted to jump on him. _It will be nice to be hugged by him again._ Just an innocent hug between two friends.

"We became friends after I headbutt him and giving him an awesome speech." Shouto blinked and Naruto flashed him a tiny smile. _Why would you go so far for other people's sake?_ She tucked a strand of hair as mismatch eyebrows knitted together. There was no words coming out of his mouth and she wondered if maybe it still sounded unbelievable to him.

"Awesome?" Shouto regarded her with mismatch eyes shining with amusement. What was so funny? She puffed her cheeks and folded her arms against her chest. The speech had been amazing in her own opinion. It came from her heart if you asked her, sincere and all that stuff. Beside she managed to change Gaara from that kid who hated everyone.

Of course she couldn't tell him this.

"Do you think I'm not capable of making an awesome speech?" She tilted her head to the side and folded her arms against her chest. _You aren't capable of making an amazing speech._ Seconds passed and no words came out of her friend's mouth. Her throat dried up as mismatch eyes looked at her like she might be something special. Maybe it was her desire to be always seen like this? Or was this how he always looked at her? She doesn't know.

"You are capable of _anything._" Mismatch eyes looked down at her and darkened slightly. Was it possible for Shouto to increase the temperature in the environment? She leaned closer to him and allowed her arm to link to him. Was it normal for someone to be closer like this? Maybe she might be a very touchy-feely person. But Shouto did not seem to hate it.

"_Anything?"_ Her voice lowered and blond eyelashes flutters slightly. She doesn't know why she was acting like this but she knows this was what Nejire warned her about. Was she acting like herself? Or was she behaving worse than Sakura and Ino? She chewed on her bottom lip as Shouto flushed a bright shade of red, eyes flickering to her lips.

This was really dangerous because she wasn't ready to play with fire, not when the whole love thing was really making her head spin.

Shouto looked away and cleared his throat. "S-So, um, hitting him and making some speech is a weird way to make friends. Why did you hit him? Gaara is a nice guy."

"It is a really complicated story but I guess I will just give you a short version," Naruto inhaled and exhaled, relaxing her shoulders and looked up at the floating clouds. "His village tried to invade my village so I needed to defeat him since he threatened my teammates. I won, made an amazing speech about the power of friendship, and that is the whole story."

"Why would you make a speech about the power of friendship?" He knitted his eyebrows and scratched his neck. _I don't know which Shouto I like more: confused Shouto or flustered Shouto?_ Confused Shouto was not something a person would see everyday. Pretty Boy was always confident, so sure of himself and never showed his confusion. But confused Shouto was cute. Flustered Shouto made her want to tease him like there was no tomorrow.

"Gaara wasn't always good." Shouto knitted his eyebrows, wrinkles forming around his forehead, and Naruto looked at the trees. "He is good now but if you met him three years ago, you might consider him a villains. He did things, things that I could understand and I don't completely blame him. If you knew the shit his father did to him…it will make anyone crack."

Shouto blinked and looked down at her. Mismatch eyes searched her and slowly asked. "Was he the one that you were talking about when you met my father? The one about my father being someone that makes criminals because he push and push people to the point that they break from pressure?"

"I was thinking of someone else but I guess Gaara works too." He raised his eyebrow and Naruto shook her head. Black eyes flashed before her alongside the whispers of the villagers. The blonde slipped her hands into her pockets and looked up at the blue sky. Why would he recall those words? It hadn't been amazing. The words had been said with irritation of how Shouto and his siblings were being treated.

"What did his father do to him?"

"I can't tell you," she clenched her hands into a fist and looked at him. "It isn't my right to tell you. If you want to know then I can try to contact Gaara and the both of you can bond over your hatred over your fathers."

_I think maybe this is one area that they can really bond over._ Gaara had no problem telling her and Shikamaru about his childhood when they had been strangers but telling Shouto felt disrespectful to her friend. She chewed on her bottom lip and tucked a strand behind her hair, blue eyes locked onto the white clouds.

Naruto tore her eyes and looked at Shouto. Blue eyes widened at the blown-up eyes of her friend. _Why was he looking at me like that?_ She talked normal. Nothing odd about it except for her desire to keep her friend's secret. She cleared her throat and poked him in the ribs, blinking at the hard feel of the sides of his stomach.

"What are you thinking about, Shouto?"

Shouto locked her eyes onto him. "When the sun hits your hair, you look even more pretty."

Blue eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. Did she hear him correctly? She pinched her arm, digging her nails until there was a mark onto the arm. Shouto blinked and knitted his eyebrows. _Does he like me as Nejire suggested to me?_ She shook her head. Nope, this was her mind playing tricks on her.

Shouto doesn't like her in that way and she would be a fool to think so.

* * *

"You are the best, Shouto!"

Naruto beamed at Shouto and looked down at her large bowl of ramen as they walked to their usual table with their friends. How the hell she forgot her wallet was a complete mystery to her but Shouto was the best person for paying for her ramen. _I will pay him back later._ Now if he offered to pay from the very beginning then she would take advantage of it. Shouto looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Am I the best because I just paid for your ramen?" Naruto flushed red as they slid into their usual seats. A single mismatch eyebrow was raised and his lips were pressed into a thin line. _I can't read him!_ She clapped her hands together as Midoriya, Uraraka, Tenya and Tsuyu observed them with raised eyebrows.

"Of course not," she curled her lips into a smile. "You are the best because you are the kindest, sweetest person in the world…not because you paid for the greatest food in creation."

Shouto snorted. "Soba is the greatest food in the world."

"I'm pretty sure that it is ramen, not soba." Naruto eyed his soba and curled her lips into a smile while Shouto shook his head. Silence hung between them and she waited for him to argue with her. He looked at her ramen, eyeing the floating fishcakes as everyone else continued to stare at them like they were weirdos.

"Ramen has so many wonderful flavors." She pointed the chopstick to her food before pointing to him. "Soba doesn't have many flavours!"

"Not the one Fuyumi-neechan makes," Shouto declared. "Just one taste and you will love it."

Naruto curled her lips into a smile and leaned closer to her friend, fingers poking his chest. "And try my homemade ramen and I guarantee that you will keep coming back for seconds!"

Asui cleared her throat and the two teens blinked. When did they get so close? Heat crept up to her face and Naruto swirled her head away from her friend, locking eyes with the knowing eyes of Asui. The girl took a sip of her drink as Uraraka engaged Shouto and the other boys with some talk about the homework Midnight assigned them.

"So you and Todoroki-san seem to be getting _very close."_ Asui flickered her eyes to her and then to Shouto. There was still some light shade of red decorating his face and Naruto curled her lips into a smile. "Was it from the hug yesterday?"

_She saw the hug!_ Naruto gulped and looked at her ramen, finding more interest in her fishcakes then those knowing green eyes. It had been an innocent little hug. Maybe a tad too long. But it had been comfortable and nice to be hugged by him. Her lips twitched into a smile and Asui bobbed her head. _Need to fix her presumption._ "Friends can hug."

"You hugged more than three seconds," Asui observed. Naruto hunched her back and wiggled in her seat, waiting and praying for her friend not to say the words _you have feelings for him._ She liked Shouto as a friend. He was a good friend, who was just unfortunately very good looking. Her friend frowned and took a sip of her drink, just looking at the various people around. Why wasn't her friend saying anything? Actually she should be grateful. Naruto relaxed her shoulders.

Maybe Asui did not know about her possible feelings for Shouto.

"Hello everyone, is this seat free?" Everyone looked up to see Yaoyorozu standing right in front of Naruto. The black-haired girl offered her a smile and flickered her eyes from her to the others. _She usually sits with Jirou but Jirou is sick today._ Naruto waved her hand and gestured her hand for her classmate to take a seat.

Yaoyorozu beamed and took a seat on the seat. Black eyebrows knitted together and Naruto frowned, tilting her head at her friends. Yesterday, the Vice President seemed to be so happy after talking to Gaara. _I wouldn't even know about it if Temari and Kankuro told me._ She shook her head and stared at her friend.

"So Naruto, you and Gaara-san seemed to be very close." Yaoyorozu commented, looking down at her food. Naruto hummed and smiled widely, blue eyes fixated on the black-haired girl. Her classmate pushed her food around, black eyes not focusing on her and focused on the spoon.

"Are you going to ask me if Gaara and me are dating?" Black eyes widened and her classmate shook her head, lips curled into a frown. _What? It was a reasonable thing to wonder._ Sasuke's fanclubs always accused her of liking Sasuke and Naruto just wanted to make things clear, because she wanted a good relationship with her classmates. "Because we are only friends."

"Gaara-san is good looking but I'm not interested in Gaara-san in that way." Yaoyorozu cleared her throat while Asui stared at her classmate with raised eyebrows. _Does Asui know something I don't know?_ Naruto shook her head and folded her arms against her chest. "I just noticed something about Gaara and I was wondering if you can tell me."

"Oh?" Naruto leaned her body forward and frowned. "What do you want to know?"

Yaoyorozu pushed her rice back and forth, chewing on her bottom lip before finally looking at her. "Well Gaara doesn't seem to be very happy, he seems sad."

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and looked at her food. What could she tell her? There was no way she could explain to her friend of what happened to Gaara. There was no way she could tell her. _The problem isn't even normal._ No, her friend hadn't even asked her about what made him sad. It sounded like a statement so maybe the question was coming later. She clasped her hands together.

"So what do you want to ask me exactly, Yaoyorozu?" Naruto asked.

Her black-haired friend chewed on her bottom lip. "I want to cheer him up as a way for thanking him for cheering me up. So I want to know what kind of things does he like? And if I can have his number?"

_What does Gaara like?_ Naruto knitted her eyebrows and looked at her food as Yaoyorozu gazed at her with curious eyes, head tilted to the side. _Has Gaara ever talk to me about his likes?_ She chewed on her bottom lip and tapped her fingers against the table. She was a terrible friend. No, she could help her friends. Beside, Naruto wanted Gaara to be happy and if her friend wanted to cheer him up…well she should give it her all.

"The number is impossible but I can get him here by the time school ends," Naruto informed her and Yaoyorozu raised her eyebrows, looking absolutely confused at her words. _I'm going to get Gaara a phone if they become friends._ She sighed. "Gaara loses his phone a lot."

Yaoyorozu raised her eyebrow and Naruto schooled her expression. Her friend pressed her lips into a thin line, not looking convinced by her words but not trying to push her for the real reason. The black-haired girl slumped her shoulders, looked at her with a frown. "I'm not going to ask how you can get him here by the time school ends but even if you could, I don't have a present. I don't know what to buy him."

Naruto shrugged. "Do you really need to know what to buy for him? He will like any present that you get for him as long as it comes from your heart. So anything will work for him…and can't you use your Quirk?"

"I need to think of the economy, Uzumaki-san."

_She just wants to buy, doesn't she?_ Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head. Her ears twitched as soft footsteps tiptoed, light breathing and she hunched her back. Darkness surrounded her eyes as the scent of jasmine surrounded her nostrils. A giggle tickled her ears and a cheerful voice asked. "Guess who it is!"

"Nejire." Naruto relaxed her shoulders when the girl released her hands from her eyes. The blond-haired girl swirled her head around, smiling slightly at the sight of her friend. The girl flickered her eyes from her to Shouto and smiled at Naruto, who avoided the knowing eyes of her friend. "How are you?"

"Great! Scored high in Present Mic's test!" Nejire clapped her hands. "But you know what will make me really happy? If you hang out with me today!"

Naruto gazed at her friend and rubbed her chin. The plan for today was meeting Akira and asking her to teach her the chakra chain from today. Was she ready now? Most likely. Her anger didn't seemed to consume her too much so it seemed like a good idea to go back there. But Nejire wanted to help her get her confidence back. What does she plan to do? What if it was a makeover? Oh god, she doesn't want to become a girly girl.

But she did want to know what was going to happen.

She also did want to learn the chakra chains.

_There is only one solution._

"I have time after school but we need to be done by six," Naruto informed Nejire. "I have somewhere to be."

Nejire grinned. "That is enough time for what I planned to do."

"You aren't doing a makeover, are you?" Naruto asked, hunching her shoulders as everyone looked at her. The girl shook her head, smiling and her eyes twinkled with mischief and understanding.

"Nope. You will know when that happens," Nejire declared. "I'm not going to spring it to you out of nowhere. You might just run away from me."

So if it was not a makeover?

What was her friend planning to do with her after school?

* * *

**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter and of the story in general. What do you think of Naruto and Todoroki's relationship? And their pace?


	41. Chapter 40

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"Naru-chan, your apartment is really nice."

Naruto blinked and raised her eyebrow at Nejire. For some strange reason, her friend wanted them to hang out in her small apartment instead of going to the café to do the lesson that Nejire wanted her to learn. Not that Naruto had a problem with her senior in her apartment. The Icha-Icha draft was securely hidden in her wardrobe drawer, ready for her to edit later.

"It is okay but it can be better." Nejire frowned and shook her head while Naruto placed her school blazer on the coat hanger. The older girl scanned the apartment, humming and bouncing around as her eyes fixated on the few photos in the apartment. Nejire blinked and skipped to the shelf, eyebrows knitted together at the sight of one of the photos on the shelf.

Naruto slipped her hands into her pockets and took her spot beside Nejire. The older girl had her eyes fixated on the photo of Team Seven, eyes lingering on Sasuke. _Is she going to ask me about him?_ She thinned her lips and looked up at the ceiling. If Nejire asked, would she be ready to talk about it? Could she talk about it without feeling the ache in her heart? She doesn't know.

She doesn't even know what her relationship was to Sasuke because her friend had always been a skilled liar.

"So do you want some tea? Coffee?" Naruto straightened her back and looked at the photo of her mother, not once allowing her eyes to stray to the photo of Team Seven. It would be a matter of minutes before Nejire might ask about the photo of Team Seven and the best course of action was not to talk about it. Besides, it was kind of rude of her not to give Nejire some tea or coffee.

"Coffee would be good." Nejire answered.

Naruto bobbed her head and made her way to the kitchen. Chewing on her bottom lip, Naruto filled the kettle with water and then put it on the stove. Her hands reached out for the drawer, pulling out her can of instant coffee alongside her cup and placed a spoonful of coffee inside of the mug. What did Nejire plan to do? Was she going to make her throw her clothes? She grimaced.

"Naru-chan, where is your Guardian?" Nejire called out from the living room. Naruto jerked her head and took a deep breath. Where was Jiraiya? He never told her about what he had been searching for. What could he be investigating for the last four weeks? Should she care? It was actually a good thing Jiraiya wasn't here. He would know something was up by now.

The thought made her whole body trembled because something tells her he was not going to make her life easy.

"Travelling." Naruto finally answered. She poured the hot water into the mug, taking a deep breath and making her way back to the living room. The blond-haired girl slid the coffee mug to Nejire before flickering her eyes to the balcony. Her clothes hung on the clothing rack, still slightly wet, but other than that…there was nothing there.

_Maybe it is time for me to put some plants out there._ But did she have enough time to do it? She smoothed her skirt and looked down at her skirt. With work, training and school, Naruto would have no time to water the plans and watch it grow. Naruto poked her tongue against her cheeks. _I could always have the clones take care of them._ She chewed on her bottom lip and sighed.

_But I can grow some plants on Sunday._ She bobbed her head and closed her eyes as her hazy memories played before her eyes. A pair of warm, loving brown eyes looking down at her. A bright smile playing on the old woman's face alongside the blazing sun. _Naru-chan, can you pick up some sunflowers? No, I know you love orange tulips but we need to take sunflowers. _Her heart ached and she exhaled.

Who was that old woman?

"Can you guess why I wanted to hang out with you?" Nejire asked, smoothing her skirt. Naruto blinked and jerked her head as a pair of blue eyes stared at her with concern. The blond-haired girl avoided her friend's eyes, fingers playing with her necklace and felt the smooth edges of the crystal. Was there a trick question? She sighed.

"You want to start our first lesson today?" Naruto tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows together. "Or did you just want to see my apartment?"

"Well I wanted to start the first lesson today." Nejire smiled and looked at the books on the shelf, eyebrows raising together at the sight of the worn-down book of the Gutsy Shinobi. What? She did like reading Jiraiya's books…when they had interesting plots. Her friend hummed and bobbed her head, lips twitching as if she knew something. "Now first question: what is self love to you?"

What was self-love?

Was this a trick question?

"Isn't it spoiling yourself?" Naruto tucked a strand of her hair as the sun tickled through the windows, falling down on the table. The glow of the sun and the sight of Nejire made her paused, eyebrows raised into her hairline. She shifted around in her seat, tilting her head as Nejire gazed at her with some understanding of her discomfort.

"That is one part of it but that isn't real self love," Nejire looked out to the balcony and smiled slightly, bouncing slightly on the couch. "There are a lot of meanings when it comes to self love but the one I like the most is feeling unconditional love for yourself. Accepting for who you are and appreciating yourself."

Naruto knitted her eyebrows and scratched her head. Unconditional love for herself? What does that mean? How could she love herself unconditionally? Nejire might declare she always deserved love but how does she love herself unconditionally? How could she accept herself when there was always that voice inside of her head? She slumped her shoulders.

"I know it is hard but you have me to help you," Nejire whispered, rubbing circles around Naruto's back. "Naru-chan, if you aren't ready to do this then I won't push you to do this."

_I don't want to live like this forever._ Naruto closed her eyes as the memories of the last couple of months flashed before her eyes. Shouto scolding her for putting her life in danger just to protect them. Aizawa-sensei telling her that she had potential. The laughter of her classmates. Bakugou declaring he would beat her. Midoriya asking her to help him. All of this washed over her.

All of this could have happened earlier if she just ignored her negative thoughts.

"I want to live a life filled with happiness," Naruto answered, straightening her back. "And I won't be able to have that life if I keep running away from my problems."

Nejire smiled and bobbed her head before taking a sip of coffee from her mug. Her eyes looked at her from the head up to her toe, eyes twinkling with understanding and the older girl finally put down the mug. "Okay then let's begin your first lesson! Do you have a piece of paper with you?"

Naruto blinked and nodded, kneeling down to the floor and pulling open the drawer of her coffee table. Several of Jiraiya's old drafts sat on the drawer, scattered and ready to be thrown out, alongside the various report cards from her middle school. Naruto shook her head and took out the empty pad of papers that she always kept at hand alongside the tossed away pencils. Placing it on the top of the coffee table, Naruto returned back to her seat.

"What does a piece of paper and pencil have to do with self-love?" Naruto tucked a strand of blond hair against her ear, chewing on her bottom lip as various ideas came into her mind. Was she going to make her categorize everything in her room and ask her to throw the things she didn't need? Because Naruto drew the line at that.

"I want you to write things that _you_ like about yourself." Nejire looked at the mug and moved it around in a circle, blue eyes softening slightly. "Everyone can find things that they hate about themselves. I can list out a lot of my flaws but it took me a while to find out what I like about myself."

"Do I have to list out what I like about my looks?" Naruto hunched her shoulders and looked at the photo of Team Seven. _Naruto, you need to be more concern about your figure! Eating ramen everyday isn't good for your figure or health!_ She sighed as Sakura's words echoed in her ears. She did have a figure if Mineta's words were any true but she didn't like it all that much. The older girl shook her head.

"Your looks, personality, accomplishments and any special skills you have." Nejire held up her three fingers and looked at her with a bright smile. "You should think about it everyday and when you find something, write it down with examples and you should read it when you wake up and before you sleep."

_So it can be anything about myself that I like?_ The blond-haired girl chewed on her lips and wrapped her hands around the pencil, eyebrows knitted together. Looks? What does she like about her looks? Her thighs might be a little bit big. Her eyes were probably not as pretty as Sakura or Ino but she did like her hair. It might not be the brilliant shade of red her mother had, but someone once compared it to the sun.

_I like my hair._ She scribbled it down and knitted her eyebrows. What else did she like? There was nothing else about her looks that she liked. Maybe it was time for her personality? What did she like about her personality? She was short-tempered, not really something she should like it. It got her into trouble at times too, especially with clients.

Yeah, she could not write that.

Why couldn't it be a list of things she dislike about herself? Because she could make a whole list of things about the things she hated about herself. This whole making a list of things she loved about herself with examples was just making her head throbbed. Naruto hunched her back and blinked as a memory flashed before her eyes.

_I want to become a hero that protects everyone but especially little kids._

She blinked and blue eyes widened, realizing what was a trait about herself that she loved about herself. Right. She liked the fact she could be protective…that she could be ambitious. Naruto bobbed her head and scribbled down those two traits of herself that she did like. She looked down at the three things on the paper and blinked.

_All my life, I know what traits and parts of myself that I hate…but there are things about me that I do like._

Maybe as each day passed, Naruto might find something else about herself that she did love.

* * *

"_Do you like her for who she is? Or for who she represents to you?"_

It had only been two days since his brother made that comment and Shouto was still nowhere near to figuring out what he felt about Naruto. Does he like her like how a boy likes a girl? Or does he like her as a dear friend? The question had been bothering him for the last two days, only getting worse when Naruto and him argued about which food tasted better. He sighed and pushed his soba noodles back and forth.

Fuyumi put down her own chopsticks and chewed on her bottom lip, eyebrows knitting together. "Are you okay, Shouto? Something seems to be bothering you."

Shouto jerked his head up and stared into the concern eyes of his older sister. Fuyumi straightened her back and reached her hand out, hovering just above his own hand. He looked at her hand and inched away slightly, not because he doesn't like her touch but because he didn't want to make the same mistake as before. He couldn't hurt his sister.

_I can handle the cold, Shouto._

He withdrew his hands from the table and Shouto sighed. "I'm confused about my feelings towards Naruto. Natsuo asked me if I like Naruto for who she is or for what she might represent to me. How do I differentiate my feelings from romantic feelings to friendship?"

His sister blinked and blinked, mouth opening wide at his words. Seconds passed with not a single word passed coming out from either of their mouths. Was it a good idea to talk about this with Fuyumi? Natsuo mentioned Fuyumi felt awkward talking about it with him, but she asked him. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well that kind of question will make anyone confused." Fuyumi picked up her chopstick and looked down at her soba noodles. She pushed the noodles back and forth, eyebrows knitting together and a small frown played on her lips. She inhaled and exhaled as Shouto looked at his sister with a tiny frown playing on his lips.

"Fuyumi-neechan, how would you differentiate these feelings?" He clasped his hands together and looked at the empty peach-colored walls of their dining room. His mismatch eyes flickered to the various food on top of the table before looking back at his sister, who bobbed her head.

"If I were you, I would write down all of my feelings towards all of my friends." Fuyumi sighed and nibbled her soba noodles, eyebrows knitting together. She swallowed and straightened her back. "From there, I would compare the way I act and feel to the person I might like to my other friends."

Shouto bobbed his head and pushed his food away, frowning slightly as his eyebrows knitted together. "Fuyumi-neechan, have you ever been in love?"

His sister pressed her lips into a thin line, put down her chopsticks and ran her hand through her hair. The lack of smile on his sister's face brought a bigger frown onto Shouto's face. Why did his sister have this expression? Had he asked the wrong question? Even in his earliest memories, Shouto had never seen Fuyumi with someone.

"Love is very risky, Shouto." Fuyumi answered softly, shaking her head. "And you can never be certain if the person you love will be good to you."

It seemed like he wasn't the only one scared of the idea. Just like him, Fuyumi had never really felt these confusing feelings but how did she know? And why was she scared? Fuyumi was nothing like their father. She acted more like their mother, so it should be easy for her to find someone that likes her. Beside, Natsuo and him would deal with any man that hurts her.

"Then how did you know I should just write it down."

"That was what Touya did when he began to develop feelings," Fuyumi whispered, clearing her throat. Shouto froze as his sister looked out to the opened door with a tiny sad smile. His sister ran her hand through her hair, closing her eyes as if she was in another time and place. The mismatch boy chewed on his bottom lip.

"Natsu-niisan told me that Toya-niisan had been in love with someone before he ran away," Shouto looked down at his food and took a deep breath. "But he never told her."

"I know." Fuyumi sighed and hunched her shoulders, curling her lips into a tiny sad smile. She stared into his mismatch eyes before looking out to the door as if concerned that Endeavour might hear them. Not that he would, the man was currently at work and wouldn't be back until the weekend. "It was understandable."

"Really?"

Fuyumi bobbed her head and looked down at her food. "With the way we watched Father and Mother interact with each other, Touya was concerned that he would hurt her like Father hurt Mother. Beside, her father would have never approved of them even if Father is the Number Two Hero."

"You know who it is." Shouto just blinked and Fuyumi pressed her lips into a thin line.

His sister finally nodded. "There was only one girl who he spent a lot of time with since she was the only one that always seemed to heal him whenever—"

"—The Shitty Old Man took his training too far?" Fuyumi nodded and Shouto knitted his eyebrows as his sister pushed her food back and forth, eyes flashing with sadness. Shouto gulped. How does he cheer her up? Does he make a joke? Jokes was not his speciality, it was something that Kaminari would do. Does he hug her? But what if he freeze her like last time? He ran his hand through his hair.

"Does she love Touya-niisan too?"

Maybe that had been the wrong question to ask.

"If she did then she never vocalized it," Fuyumi answered softly. "But she was devasted when I told her that Touya ran away from home. She wasn't surprised but I think the fact he never said his goodbyes to her…hurt her."

Shouto blinked. "How do you know Touya-niisan never say goodbye to her?"

"Because he wouldn't have run so far away from here," Fuyumi answered, shaking her head. Shouto bobbed his head and looked at the empty seats between them. This was probably the first time in a long time that they had an honest conversation about the brother who went missing. The first time he ever asked about the brother who tried his hardest to protect him.

But what did Touya look like now? Does his brother have red hair? Or was it white hair? It had been so long since he had seen his older brother but he hoped his brother was fine. He was probably living a better life now with being so far away from the house that brought so much pain.

"Shouto, when you figured out your feelings and if it turns out that you do have romantic feelings for Naruto…you should tell her." Shouto blinked as his only sister looked down at her food. "You shouldn't wait forever to make your intentions known to her, because no female is going to wait for a guy that never vocalized their feelings to them."

Shouto nodded and looked at his sister. "And what if she doesn't return my feelings?"

"Then you can lean on Natsuo and me for support, Shouto."

He forgot that he did have his siblings to be there for him now.

* * *

**A/N:** I was going to put Naruto's chakra chain training in this chapter but it felt out of place with what was going on in the chapter, so I have decided to include it in the next chapter. What do you think of the whole story? And of Shouto's relationship with his siblings? And of what Nejire told Naruto to do?


	42. Chapter 41

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and stared at Akira. Her heart pounded against her chest as sweat began to cling to her skin as violet eyes stared down at her with curiosity. The evening sun seemed to be lowering, reminding her of how in another couple of hours that it would be time for her to return back to her senjutsu training.

"I want to learn how to make chakra chains if you are still willing to teach me." Naruto shoved her hands into her pockets, head turned away and her white teeth nibbled her lips. Was she asking for too much? What if the woman thought she was on her way to forgiving them? She wasn't there yet. Her heart still ached when she considered what her mother went through. But she wanted to be strong and this was her way to connect with the mother she never got to know.

"The offer was always there," Akira smiled and looked out to the empty road behind Naruto before looking up at her. "It is within your right to learn how to make those chakra chains. Now follow me into the house, Naruto."

Naruto bobbed her head, slipped her hands out of her pockets and followed the elderly woman into the house. Unlike the last time, there didn't seem to be anyone here. The only things in this house were the photos of various members of the Uzumaki Clan, making her wonder if Akira had any children or not. Naruto paused slightly when her eyes caught sight of a slightly younger Akira being hugged by a younger male and surrounded by four young adults and one kid.

"Those are my grandson with his children," Akira smiled and stared at the photo. "Most of his children were born before the Third Shinobi War or during it. Only his youngest child was born here."

Naruto nodded and doesn't ask anything about why the youngest child didn't share the same flaming red-hair as his siblings. It was not her business. Asking Akira meant she was willing to get to know her in a more personal level and Naruto wasn't certain if she was in that stage. She sighed and looked at the photo of Eisuke with his family.

Was she ever going to be ready for that stage?

"The training that you are about to do isn't easy, Naruto." Blue eyes blinked and Naruto jerked her head at Akira. The slight happiness in those violet eyes faded, replaced with a seriousness that made the blond-haired girl gulped. "And there are stages that you will go through before you can make those chains."

Stages? Was she going to do something like the rasengan again? She guessed it must be like the rasengan training since it would be hard to make chains with hand seals. Naruto knitted her eyebrows and nodded as they walked into the training room, where only a single small spike stood. The blond-haired girl blinked and swirled her head to look at Akira.

"Why do you have a spike here?"

Akira smiled. "Before I can start teaching you how to make those chakra chains, I'm going to have to see how good are you in chakra control."

"Do I need to have excellent chakra control to make those chains?" Naruto slumped her shoulders and scowled. This would be her terrible luck if that was the case. Sure her chakra control was nothing like when she had been twelve, but it was never going to be as good as Sakura or even Sasuke. The thought made her want to cry.

"It would be advisable but it isn't completely necessary," Akira answered, eyeing the spike on the ground. "But these chains are going to be coming out of your body and that will take out a lot of chakra. In order for you not to waste any unnecessary chakra, it will be advisable for you to have good chakra control."

"And if it isn't up to your standard?" Would she want her to give up the idea? Because Naruto wasn't going to give up the idea. Akira eyed her and snorted, lips curled into a smile and Naruto wondered what was so funny now. The old woman rubbed her chin and circled around her, violet eyes fixated on her.

"Then we will get you up to my standard." Akira does not even smile but the crazed glint in her eyes spoke volumes to Naruto, telling her that it had been a terrible idea to voice out her doubts. The woman hummed, rubbed her chin and straightened her back before making her way towards the spike. The elder woman dropped her cane and placed her hand on top of the spike before kicking her legs up for a hand stand.

_She must be nearly a 100 but she can do a handstand._ Naruto rubbed her eyes and just opened her mouth like a dead fish as Akira hovered around the spike, chakra emitting from below her hand, and not once did the woman's legs wobbled. This had to be one of the more extreme versions of chakra control. It was concentrating her chakra to a single point and Naruto was glad that there was no other spikes near them.

"I want you to be able to do this with your chakra," Akira declared before flipping back onto her legs. She straightened her back, picked up her cane and locked her eyes on Naruto. "With the amount of chakra that you are going to make with your chakra chains, you need to make sure that you don't waste so much unnecessary chakra."

"But I have large chakra reserves," Naruto pointed out. "It shouldn't be a big deal for me to waste so much chakra. I can make a 1000 shadow clones without getting exhausted."

Akira leaned against her cane and violet eyes twinkled, looking at her like she was a sweet, naïve child. Naruto bristled, clenching her jaws together. What was so wrong about her words? Kakashi-sensei had even mentioned once that she had more chakra than him and he was a Jounin. She probably had more chakra than when she was a child.

"What would be the point of having large chakra reserves if you can't mold your chakra properly?" Akira reminded her. "Adding elementals to your jutsu is easy but manipulating its shape takes a lot of practice especially when there is no use of hand seals. The chains requires you to mold, twist and turn your chakra until it becomes a chain. This has to become second nature to you and if you don't do it properly then _even you_ will suffer from chakra exhaustion."

Naruto sighed and looked at the spike. "How long do you want me to be able to stay in your handstand position?"

"Half-an-hour." Akira smiled. "But if you fall in the first five minutes…well I will make sure that you don't want that to happen again."

A sense of dread washed over the blond-haired girl at the evil glint in the elder woman's eyes. Naruto gulped. "What do you plan to do?"

"It won't be fun if I tell you, Naruto."

Naruto had the strangest feeling that Akira was the devil in the body of an old woman.

* * *

"You finally came back to this shithole. Where the fuck have you been for the past month, Dabi?"

Dabi grunted and sat down on the bouncy couch of his shared apartment with Isamu. Turqouise eyes did not bother to meet the annoyed blue eyes of his roommate, choosing to focus on the pile of newspaper piled up on the table. The scarred man picked up the newspaper, grunting and rolling his eyes at the headlines, but only to stop at the latest headline that declared the missing children and Uzumaki Tomoyo have been found.

Turquoise eyes fixated on the gray-haired woman on the front page. There was not a single smile playing on her lips despite the fact Uzushiokage and Hawks saved her from whoever kidnapped her. Her blue eyes seemed faded and distant, a very different picture to when they had been children. But then Tomoyo changed after her mother died from overusing her Quirk. He shook his head and grunted.

None of this was his business.

"_You shouldn't be walking, Touya! Sit still for goodness sake! Oh don't give me that look, Mister! I'm not scared of any of your glares, you will have to get through me if you want to go to class!"_ Tomoyo's voice echoed in his ear alongside her furious blue eyes and the image of her sixteen-year-old self flashed before his eyes. He shook his head and looked at Isamu before darting his eyes back to the photos on the newspaper.

The smile on the Uzushiokage's face almost mocked him, telling him of how much happiness Eisuke had being a hero. _He always wanted to have some form of validation._ The man's father had always been hard on Eisuke, even kicked him out of the house when he declared his intentions of entering Yuuei High. Dabi snorted and looked at the bright green eyes of his former friend _(no, Eisuke is Touya's friend. Not Dabi)_ before shaking his head.

Bastard was even smiling even though he allowed those sick son of bitches that kidnapped those kids and Tomoyo get away.

"_Well if your Dad wants you to become a hero then we can be heroes together! We can make our own definition of heroes!"_

A wave of anger washed over him and Dabi crumbled the newspaper, tossing it straight to the trashcan. His roommate raised an eyebrow, arms folded against his chest before kicking his feet onto the table. Dabi's eyebrows twitched but he bit his tongue. Between the two of them, Isamu paid for most of the things and was probably a better roommate than he could ever hope for.

"Heroes can't do anything fucking right." Dabi leaned his body forward and looked at the trashcan. Heroes never really saved people. They always cared about themselves, never giving a shit about their own family. _I thought Father will play with me._ Mismatch eyes flashed before his eyes. _Father told me to stop whining about him spending more time with Shouto._ Teary eyes flashed before him and Dabi clenched his hands into a fist. "They only care about publicity."

Isamu rubbed his chin and his blue eyes fixated on him. "You want to destroy the hero society, don't you? If I remember correctly, you have been worshipping Stain from the moment he came onto the scene, haven't you? Saw a couple of his work on your bedroom."

"Bastard is the only one that seems to know shit about the world." His roommate chuckled and snorted, blue eyes flashing with slight irritation but doesn't dare to correct him. Not like Dabi would listen to the asshole. As soon as he found a new apartment, he would not have to deal with this weird guy again.

Isamu hummed and leaned his body even more forward, blue eyes flashing with interest. He rubbed his chin and twisted his body around, dropping any smiles playing on his lips. "Dabi, would you be interested in working for my Boss? Y'know Stain and him were working together for a while before Stain got himself arrested."

"Didn't you moan and bitch about how childish the man was?" Isamu shrugged, not even bothering to deny about the fact he spent months complaining about him. _I don't want to deal with two people bitching and moaning._ Dabi rubbed his chin, pressed his lips into a thin line and stared at the senior.

"Look Shigaraki wasn't the worst boss I work with and I worked under a lot of spoiled brats." His roommate rubbed the back of his neck, clasped his hands together and stared at him. "You can't change the system by yourself, Dabi and you might just fit right in with them, Dabi. Think about it and once you make your decision, tell me."

Dabi just stared at him and looked at him for a couple of seconds. "I'm going to take a walk, Isamu."

His roommate nodded and turned on the television, not bothering to say his goodbyes as Dabi put on his hoodie. Work with Isamu? Bastard was targeting a little girl because of what her father did to his family. But he couldn't blame him. It was stupid and idiotic but that pain could overwhelm people. It drove people insane.

He was insane to think about it but revenge tasted sweet and what better way to get revenge? Was for his shitty old man to realize that his oldest child became a villain? That he made him this way. Maybe if things had been different then he would never be in this position.

"_If it is hurting you so much then leave him and take your siblings! You could come and live with our family, Touya!"_

Dabi chuckled and looked at the screen on the building, showing the interview of Uzushiokage and Hawks.

How could he ever take his family away when Endeavour would just hunt them down? When he could just destroy that family?

How could he leave if he couldn't prove for them?

Eisuke and Tomoyo made it seem so easy.

* * *

_Why was Eisuke here?_

The sight of Eisuke standing in front of Akira's door, lips curled into a hopeful smile and green eyes twinkled with some joy. Naruto rubbed her scratched cheeks and rubbed her arms, head tilted to the side before putting her hands into her pockets. Was there something she did not know about? She pressed her lips into a thin line, uncertain of how she should feel about him being here.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have work?" Hawks spent most of his nights patrolling, hence the reason he kept demanding for some coffee. She just presumed Eisuke was the same. Well Naruto thought that all heroes patrolled during night, never having time for their families.

"Not on duty right now." Eisuke shrugged his shoulders and looked at the windows. "So Akira wanted me to walk you back home, says something about pushing you to the limit."

The blonde scowled. Yeah Akira pushed her to the limit alright. It had been difficult for her to balance on the top of the spike, trying to balance her chakra alongside keeping her legs on top. How could an old lady do better than her? She slumped her shoulders and looked out to the empty streets. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Well it is better safe than sorry." Eisuke explained, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking up at the clear night sky. Better safe than sorry? She could definitely kicked a couple of pervert's asses even if her legs felt like lugs and her arms felt as heavy as a tree trunk. Naruto sighed and slumped her shoulders.

She just had to accept this and her brain was just too exhausted to make a snippy comeback.

For ten minutes, the two of them walked in silence through the streets. Neither of them looked at each other, only looking at the various trees that surrounded them. If Eisuke wanted to talk to her then he must have noticed that her scowl was in no indication that she wanted to talk to anyone now. Finally, Eisuke cleared his throat.

"My Dad is going to be back home by Saturday." Eisuke flickered his eyes at her and Naruto froze. Why was he telling her this? She blinked. Oh right, the clan wanted to do a check on the seal that the Fourth Hokage put on her and fix the damn seal on Gaara. "And he wants to meet with you… if you are willing to meet with him."

_Saturday?_

She already did her switch with her colleague so that she could hang out with her friends. Does she even want to meet the man after what he did to her? Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and hunched her back. But she couldn't avoid the man forever? And it had been two weeks since the incident. She should just accept what happened and hear what he had to say to him.

"I'm out with friends…but he can meet me on Sunday during my break." Eisuke bobbed his head and looked down at her with lips creeping up into a smile. She snorted and shook her head. "This doesn't mean I have forgiven your Dad for what he did, but I will hear what he has to say to me."

"Well I consider it a win." Her relative curled his lips into a smile and Naruto snorted, not bothering to argue with him. _This chakra control exercise just drained me of my desires to fight him._ The blonde took a deep breath, shoved her hands into her pockets and looked up at the night sky.

The silence hung between her and Eisuke was so tense that they only needed a knife to just cut a slice of it. Should she just keep quiet? Should she make some small talk? What could they talk about? Maybe she should just tell him that she was just a couple of blocks from here and didn't need a bodyguard.

Eisuke rubbed the back of his neck "So what is your relationship between you and Endeavour's kid?"

"W-What the hell? Why would you ask that?" Naruto flushed a bright shade of red, fiddling with her pockets and green eyes twinkled with both sadness and amusement. Was he also going to jump to conclusions like Hawks did? Because she didn't have a crush on Shouto…_she thinks._ They were friends.

Friends could be very close too.

"Hawks told me that there might be something going on between the two of you," Eisuke admitted, laughing nervously as blue eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at him. What the hell? Why would Hawks bring it up? It wasn't like she made it her business to find out if he was in a relationship with anyone. She scowled and Eisuke held his hands up.

"Do the two of you gossip like a couple of old women?"

Eisuke grinned. "Well we have to talk about something while we were waiting for our interviews and so it ended up being about you and Shouto. So now tell me are the two of you dating?"

"We are friends!" Naruto flushed a bright shade of red and looked at the various houses, never ever looking at her cousin. If she looked at Eisuke then maybe he might think that there might be something going on between her and Shouto. An impulsive kiss didn't count as something brewing between them.

Naruto cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck. It was time for her to change the topic because this was not a topic that she wanted to talk with Eisuke. "So how is Tomoyo?"

"Fine," Eisuke sighed and looked at the houses. "She returned back to work and has been working overtime to make up for all the shifts that those assholes made her lose."

Working overtime? Shouldn't she be resting and all that stuff? Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and stared at her relative, not understanding one bit why her cousin wasn't so concern about the fact that Tomoyo wasn't taking rest. This was what people would consider not being emotionally health? Or running away from their problems? She wasn't certain.

She wasn't a therapist.

"Should Tomoyo return back to work?" Naruto tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows. "She was just kidnapped so shouldn't she go through counselling? Or something?"

"Tomoyo deals with her issues by being a workaholic," Eisuke rubbed the back of his neck. "And no amount of begging and pleading would make that woman go through with counselling. She will make excuses about why she can't go there… so we just learnt to go with it, and just be there for her when we can."

Naruto nodded and looked up at the night sky. So if someone refused to deal with their issues then they needed to be there for them? But what if that person refused to let you into their life? Should you still be there for them? Should you still have faith even though you know they are living an unhealthy life?

Maybe once she could get over what happened to her then maybe she would be comfortable with asking that question.

* * *

**A/N:** So what do you think of the character development of the characters? And of the interactions? What do you think of the original characters that have been introduced so far in this book?


	43. Chapter 42

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"_Naruto, are you asleep?"_

Naruto blinked and turned around in her sleeping bag, blue eyes fixated on the sleeping bag of her teammate. Since they were the only two girls, they had no choice but to share a tent. Then again, this was the second time that they had to be forced to sleep in the same tent. They slept in the same tent during the Wave Mission but fear and anxiety had made it hard for them to communicate with each other.

This time they had an actual C-rank mission, where they only had to guard some merchant from some bandits. It had been three days and so far, there had been no incidents and Naruto hopes that it would get exciting some time soon.

"_I'm awake, Sakura-chan."_ Naruto clasped her hands together and looked up at the roof of the tent. The wind swooshed and smacked the branches of the trees, almost reminding her of ghosts. Burrowed deeper under her sleeping bag, her heart pounded against her chest. Was her heart so loud that Sakura could hear it? Maybe. Why else would Sakura talk to her? It must be annoying to her.

She wasn't going to raise her hopes again and think Sakura wants to be friends with her.

A part of her hopes that they could be friends.

"_Naruto, what kind of relationship do you have with Sasuke-kun?"_ Sakura twisted her body around and green eyes met her bright blue eyes. Those green eyes flashed with curiosity. No jealously shone through them and Naruto just gazed at the girl. _"I mean are the two of you really just friends? Or do you like him?"_

"_Of course we are just friends! Hell, we aren't just friends! He is also my rival." _Naruto blinked. _"Why are you asking me this?"_

Wasn't it obvious? Had she done something to make her teammate think differently? The blond-haired girl knitted her eyebrows and wiggled herself out of the sleeping tent. She turned back to her pink-haired teammate and knitted her eyebrows. Sweat clung to her skin, probably from the worry instead from the summer night of Hi No Kuni.

"_But you know you can be friends with someone and have feelings for them."_ Sakura lowered her voice and a small frown decorated her lips. Her teammate clasped her hands together over her chest. "_It is just hard to believe since Sasuke-kun is good-looking and the two of you spends so much time together."_

Sometimes Naruto doesn't understand Sakura and maybe there were times when she gets annoyed with her, but this had been the first time that Sakura actually tried to understand her feelings towards Sasuke. _Naruto thinks that was when she and Sakura gets a little bit closer._ None of the other girls really asked her about it before.

"_It is weird for me to think of Sasuke in that way."_ Naruto folded her hands over her head and relaxed her shoulders. Her heart slows down and the blond-haired girl giggled. "_I tease him, argue with him and hell I even annoy the crap out of him because it is my way of showing him that I care…don't tell the Bastard that I give a shit."_

Sakura sighed. "_So your way of showing him that you care is getting a rise out of him? And why do you think it is weird? Sasuke-kun is kind, smart and he is very caring too. So why don't you have a crush on him like the other girls?"_

"_Shikamaru is all of that too."_ Sakura wrinkled her nose and blinked while Naruto stared up at the ceiling. Was this considered girl talk? She never really do these kind of things with Hinata-chan. They spent more time discussing about how to get her to rise through the ranks. "_But I also don't like Shikamaru in that way."_

Sakura sighed. "_Shikamaru? He is so lazy."_

Yeah, Naruto knew that and it annoyed the crap out of her at times.

"_The point is that I just don't feel anything like that for the Bastard."_ The blond-haired girl stared at her green-eyed teammate and offered her a big smile. Maybe she smiled like that because she just wanted to reassure her teammate about the sincerity of her feelings. _Even when she leaves Konoha, Naruto wasn't certain if Sakura believes her._ She took a deep breath.

"_Nothing?"_ Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"_Don't ever tell the bastard this because I will deny it for the rest of the trip: but the Bastard is my best-friend, rival and my brother."_ Naruto closed her eyes as Sakura curled her lips into an almost amused smile. "_I know he will always be there for me but dating him is just plain weird! Can you imagine you dating Ino? Because that is what it feels like to me. I know all of his secrets and know so many embarrassing stories that I can't take him seriously."_

Sakura bobbed her head and giggled. "_In that case then do you know whether or not he likes girls with long-hair?"_

"_When we were six? Yeah because of his Mum and his brother,"_ Sakura blinked and Naruto looked up at the ceiling. Was it wrong to spill that secret to Sakura? Yeah. Did she feel guilty? Probably but Sasuke brought it on himself. "_Look Sakura if Sasuke actually liked a girl then I would know. He is easy for me to read and if you want a relationship with him…not the right time. Right now, his heart isn't set on romance."_

"_I realized that," _Sakura chewed on her bottom lip and her green eyes flashed with concern. _"Sasuke-kun mentioned that he wants to kill a certain man, he told us about that in our introduction."_

_(Even when Naruto turned fifteen, she hated the fact Sasuke would never let her help him take Itachi down)._

Naruto bobbed her head and stared distantly at the ceiling of the tent. _I thought she would focus about him trying to revive his clan._ For someone that claims to be in love with Sasuke, she expected her to remember something that more. Was she wrong about Sakura? Maybe. But then again it would be hard for anyone to forget. She sighed.

"_Do you know who he wants to kill?"_ Softness and curiosity laced her teammate's voice and Naruto chewed on her lips. Should she tell her? She doesn't know what to do so she avoided those bright green eyes. She only knew because she kept visiting Sasuke in the hospital and heard all those rumors. Even now, she wanted to vomit at the knowledge.

"_It isn't my place to tell you."_ Sakura nods and doesn't push her but she was going to do it eventually. So Naruto forced herself to smile and looked to the side. This was the time for her to change topic, just in case her teammate brought up more painful memories. "_You know if Sasuke was interested in anyone then I would set him up."_

Sakura blinked but doesn't question her about the change of the topic. Green eyes flashed with curiosity and understanding, which almost made Naruto think that they could get along. She almost smiles at the thought but then she recalls those cruel words directed towards her, and she dropped the smile. Don't build expectations like last time.

A working relationship was the best idea for them.

"_Why haven't you tried setting Hinata up with Kiba?"_ Naruto blinked and Sakura's green eyes flashed with curiosity. "_You keep teasing her about her crush so why haven't you done anything about it?"_

Naruto rubbed her chin and looked up at the ceiling. Why haven't she done anything when it came to Hinata? Maybe because it never really crossed her mind to do something about it. Was she being a terrible friend for never actually doing something about her crush? Maybe.

"_I don't want to interfere with her relationship."_ Naruto closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _"She is my best friend and I don't want to be the reason she might not have a potential relationship. If I want to be a good friend to her then I shouldn't interfere right?"_

Sakura hummed and stared at her, chewing on her bottom lip. Naruto knitted her eyebrows. Why did Sakura look so sad? Did she say the wrong thing again? Or did she annoy Sakura again? No, there was no twitching of the eyebrow and so maybe her teammate wasn't going to shout at her or even clenching her hands into a fist.

"_You know I think being a good friend means having their best interest at heart."_ Sakura smiled and Naruto blinked, blue eyes widening slightly. "_But you should interfere if you think they have a chance and if you want to help Hinata out…I will help you out if you want."_

_When Naruto looks back, she wonders whether it had been her imagination that they were becoming friends. Was it her imagination? Or was she the fool? She doesn't know where things went wrong._

* * *

_Why the hell haven't those two confess their feelings to each other?_

It was a Friday afternoon and Bakugou could not stop watching Whiskers and IcyHot as they sat down with Deku and his friends. For the last ten minutes, Whiskers kept flickering her eyes at Todoroki with flushed cheeks. IcyHot wasn't any better, always having a light blush on his face and his eyes either goes from Whisker's face to her chest. _Honestly, anyone with eyes can see that they like each other._ He scowled.

Shoving his food into his mouth, Bakugou looked at their smiling faces and snorted when Whiskers and Todoroki leaned close before jerking their heads away from each other. His stomach turned and a part of him wanted to make sure that IcyHot wasn't so near Whiskers. _First they lean close to each other, next it will be them kissing and…I don't give a fuck about this. _He clenched his hands into a fist and shook his head.

It was none of his business.

But Whiskers could do a hell lot better than IcyHot. He blinked and scowled. Why does he even care? Whiskers and him might have hang out the other day and maybe he did have some fun in the arcade with her. _But I would rather die than admit this to her._ He thrust the steak in his mouth. Whiskers shouldn't be with someone so messed up.

"Are you jealous, Bakugou?" Ashido giggled and Bakugou swirled his head at the pink-skinned girl. Yellow eyes twinkled with mischief as Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero stopped their chatter. "Do you wish Uzumaki is sitting with us instead of getting _close_ to Todoroki?"

_What the hell?_ Bakugou scowled and clenched his hands into a fist as the eyes of his annoying classmates looked at him with wide eyes. He doesn't give a shit about who Whiskers wanted to sit with. So what if he spent years watching her? It doesn't mean he has some sort of feelings for her. Unlike what everyone in the damn class believed, he was very much in tune to his fucking emotions and he knows he doesn't like Whiskers.

If he fucking like Whiskers then he would act like how his mother acted around his damn father.

"Why the fuck do you think I want her here with us?" He chewed on his food and eyed Ashido. Red eyes dared the girl to jump to conclusions again and Ashido grinned, not looking one bit terrified of his glare. _If we weren't surrounded by teachers, I would use my damn Quirk._ He clenched his hands into a fist and held himself back from smacking the table.

One wrong move and Ashido would think he liked Whiskers.

"Because you like her." Ashido clapped her hands together and sang, earning snickers from Kaminari and Kirishima. Sero inched away as red eyes glared at his classmates. Why the hell were they sitting here? And why was he even sitting with them? No, he couldn't walk away. Walk away and it would prove them right. He scowled and looked at Uzumaki, red eyes focused on the small smile directed to Todoroki.

It really was obvious that she really liked IcyHot.

"If Blasty likes Uzumaki then he needs to try a hell lot harder." Bakugou blinked and swirled his head around, red eyes landing on Tokage and her tray of food. Muddy green eyes twinkled with mischief and locked on Whiskers and Todoroki. "Todoroki is winning the race to Uzumaki's heart by the looks of things."

"That is because I haven't really tried." Kaminari declared, smoothing his hair and flashing a smile at Lizard. Bakugou's eyebrows twitched and he narrowed his eyes at the resident flirt of their class. This really was not the time for Pikachu to try and act like he could get a date. Beside since when had there been a race? Whiskers liked IcyHot since the damn Sports Festival.

He scowled and looked at the knowing eyes of Spikey Hair, scowling at him.

"I don't fucking like Whiskers!" The others blinked and swirled their heads at him. Ashido giggled while Kaminari just raised a single eyebrow at him. Lizard curled her lips into a smile, muddy green eyes flashing with amusement and Bakugou clenched his hands into a fist. Several heads turned to them, eyes widening with surprise and Bakugou narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone knows you love her," Bakugou opened his mouth to protest and muddy green eyes dared him to contradict his claims. Understanding and amusement shone through her eyes. Why does she act like she knows shit? He doesn't like Whiskers. He doesn't love her. He was just indifferent to the blond-haired girl.

"I don't like her!" Bakugou folded his arms against his chest and looked at the flushed cheeks of Whiskers. The solemn face of his six-year-old Uncle flashed before his eyes alongside the furious eyes of his mother. He scowled. "And you guys are idiots if you think any one of you have a chance with Whiskers! You have to be fucking blind not to see that Whiskers likes IcyHot and that IcyHot likes Whiskers!"

Pinky sighed and stared at Whiskers and IcyHot with hearts in her eyes. She pushed the tray of food away from her, putting her head on top of her hand and let out a sigh. Bakugou inched away from the girl while Kirishima shook his head, looking faintly amused at the longing looks thrown by the pink-skinned girl. _Of course he is._ Bakugou sighed.

"But even if Uzumaki and Todoroki like each other, they are just too dense to realize they like each other." Ashido groaned and hugged herself. "How the hell do you get two dense people to realize they like each other? I just want to see them get together!"

Lizard eyed them, curled her lips into a frown and slid into the empty seat right beside him. Muddy green eyes flashed with thoughtfulness, looking almost like she was debating about telling them something, and Bakugou felt his stomach turned when the girl bobbed her head. Why does he have a bad feeling about this? And why does he even care?

This was none of his business.

"You will have to get them alone together but that is impossible," Tokage pushed her meatballs back and forth, green eyes locked onto the bright yellow eyes of Ashido before flickering her eyes to Deku's table. She sighed. "Uzumaki and Todoroki are sitting with Midoriya and his friends more often and are talking less than usual. Uzumaki is even talking to Yaoyorozu even when she wants to say something to Todoroki."

Ashido blinked and knitted her eyebrows. "And?"

"Basically they are avoiding being alone together," Tokage said dryly. "That hasn't happened before so something must have happened between them. Whatever happened to them is making it hard for them to spend time together alone. They are avoiding being alone together because they must be afraid to bang each other."

Kaminari spit out his food while Kirishima flushed red. "What the hell, Tokage! Don't say that shit when we are eating!"

"I'm just pointing out the tension between them," Tokage shrugged her shoulders. "And they must know it or why else would Uzumaki keep stressing to me and Kendou-chan that she was only hanging out with Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki? She doesn't need to keep stressing it."

Ashido clapped her hands together. "Why don't we convince Midoriya and Iida to abandon them and they can be on a date?"

"Midoriya will be easy," Kaminari commented. "Iida is the problem."

Kirishima groaned. "Why do you guys have so much interest in Uzumaki's relationship with Todoroki?"

"Because they will be so cute together!" Pinky replied, rolling her eyes at the red-haired boy. She let out a dreamy sigh while Tokage bobbed her head, muddy green eyes twinkling with amusement. Bakugou blinked and scowled, wrinkling his nose at the thought. Yeah, this was not the time for him to think about it. "I just want to witness their love bloom and grow!"

Bile rose up into his throat and the images of Whiskers and Todoroki pecking each other in the cheeks alongside calling each other by nicknames. God, he just wanted to vomit at the thought of Whiskers acting so in love with someone. Wait, what would affection be like between two emotionally-dense people? Probably weird.

He rubbed his forehead and scowled.

This was not his business.

"We need to make sure that Midoriya and Iida don't go to the theme park," Ashido declared, rubbing her chin. Yellow eyes twinkled with mischief as it locked onto him. Why was she looking at them like that? Why does she look at him like he was going to get involved with this shit?

Red eyes widened and Bakugou slammed his chopsticks, the plates jumped up. Kaminari blinked while Kirishima put his tray on the other side of the table. The blond-haired boy grinded his teeth together. "Don't get me involved with this shit!"

"Okay so you are in," Tokage declared, shrugging her shoulders.

"What part of not getting involved, do you not understand?"

"We all know that you say one thing but mean the other thing!"

* * *

**A/N**: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter? What do you think of the flashback?


	44. Chapter 43

_**A/N:**_ I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

_So this is what an amusement park looks like!_

This was the only thought Naruto had as her blue eyes took in the lines of people waiting to get tickets. Couples held hands, children screamed and chased each other as their parents called out for them to come back to them. Some people exited out of the amusement park with silly, colourful hats with large smiles on their faces.

No one looked at them like they were silly for acting like children and Naruto wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she does smile as her fellow teens sang out a song in a bad melody. _Why haven't I come here before? _The smile on her face dropped and Naruto slumped her shoulders.

In the three years she had been in Japan, she had never stepped foot into an amusement park. Her classmates in middle school talked about the joys of amusement parks, they even invited her once but she didn't really believe they wanted her to come. People didn't want to get to know her had been her reasoning…but she wasted three years of having fun.

Three years of buildup issues meant she achieved nothing.

"Naruto."

Naruto blinked and swirled her head to the right, blue eyes widening at the sight of Shouto standing before her. _Why must he look good?_ Shouto wasn't even wearing anything special, just a simple blue v-shaped t-shirt, a black jacket and a pair of jeans. Nothing for her to drool about but Shouto was a good-looking guy.

"_He's also quite fit! Imagine what would happen if he gets wet from one of the rides!"_ A small voice whispered and an image of his shirt clinging to his muscular chest flashed before Naruto's mind. The blond-haired girl flushed a bright shade of red and rubbed the back of her neck, trying to push the image out of her mind.

Not the time for her to imagine what Shouto might look like without a shirt.

As soon as Naruto was certain that her cheeks were no longer as red as a tomato, she turned to look at Shouto. Mismatch eyes seemed fixated on her bright blue eyes, almost looking at it as if he wanted to memorize how they looked. Wait, could someone actually memorize how eyes looked? She doesn't know. There was no Hinata-chan for her to ask and Nejire was probably doing her work-study thing.

It would be too awkward for her to ask Midoriya and Iida seemed like a robot half of the time.

"S-So have you been waiting for a long time now?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of her neck. Why did she just stutter? It wasn't even cold today. If anything the blazing heat from the sun was already making her sweat like buckets, so why did she talk like that? They had been alone before.

Shouto shook his head and darted his eyes everywhere before looking back down at her eyes. Mismatch eyes focused on her cheeks and a small smile formed on his face. Did he find something funny? Wait, was she blushing again? She darted her eyes everywhere, searching frantically for the nearest reflective material and groaned. Why didn't they have mirrors? Does she look weird? Had it been a bad idea to wear T-shirt and shorts?

But everyone seemed to be wearing it, so maybe there was something else that she was missing?

"So where is Iida and Midoriya?" Naruto cleared her throat and Shouto looked away from her. Pink lips twitched as Shouto's cheeks flushed a light shade of red. What was he embarrassed about? There had been nothing about her question that sounded wrong. Naruto knitted her eyebrows while Shouto rubbed the back of his neck.

_Ring._

The two teens blinked and pulled out their phones. _Sorry but I have some chores to do that I have forgotten to do._ Naruto raised her eyebrow, curled her lips into a frown as Iida began to type out his message. Since when did Midoriya forget to do his chores? He was responsible. He had been looking forward to this trip so why did he forget to do it? She looked away from her phone and ran her hand through her hair.

"Iida is not coming too," Shouto commented, holding his smartphone for her to see. Naruto blinked and looked down at her phone, eyebrows rising to her hairline when Iida commented about having some unexpected guest coming in and how he must play the role of being a host. _Something doesn't feel right._ She chewed on her bottom lip, put her phone into her pocket and hunched her shoulders.

If Iida wasn't coming and Midoriya too then that means it was just going to be her and Shouto. Shouto and her alone in the amusement park. No friends to act as buffers. Could she do this without things becoming awkward? Should they just reschedule the whole thing? Because being alone with Shouto was a terrible idea.

Her mind would wander into uncharted territories, landing her right back into the mess that brought this mess up.

"We can still go inside without them," Shouto said, mismatch eyes darting to the various people surrounding them, and Naruto just stared at him. He had his hands in his pockets and had a blank expression on, not looking one bit bothered about the fact Iida and Midoriya bailed on them. He looked down at her. "Unless you want to reschedule the whole thing."

Naruto shook her head and looked at the bright, red gates of the amusement park. "I want to go in…but wouldn't this be considered a date?"

Because that was what happened when a boy and a girl hang out together alone right? That was what Sakura, Ino and most of the girls from Konoha always wanted from Sasuke. If people see them then they might think they were on a date? Could a boy and a girl hang out alone without it being considered a date? She doesn't know. Was this a misunderstanding? She wasn't certain.

She was really clueless about these things.

"It is only a date if we consider it a date," Shouto said. His large hands rubbed the back of his neck and he hunched his shoulders, knitting his eyebrows as if uncertain by his words. Naruto doesn't know whether to focus on his eyes or to focus on his large hands. A part of her wanted to hold onto those hands, to feel it encased her own but it was strange. "A boy and a girl can hang out together without it being a date. As friends, we can hang out together…can't we?"

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and nodded. He was right. She used to hang out with Sasuke in her favourite ramen stand and not once had she ever considered it a date. But Naruto never liked kissing Sasuke. She never hugged him long enough to get teased about it by Hinata-chan. She never imagined getting another kiss from him or had those really weird daydreams that might put Jiraiya's books to shame.

She doesn't know what exactly was happening between them but she was sure that she didn't catch feelings for Shouto.

Despite what Nejire thinks, Naruto would know if she had a crush on Shouto.

"You are right, we can hang out as friends and this wouldn't be a date." Naruto forced herself to smile and Shouto frowned, knitting his eyebrows at her. Naruto looked away from him, not bothering to answer his silent question. A small part of her could taste the bitterness in her tone when she spilled those words and the blond-haired girl frowned. Why didn't she like it? It was what she wanted from him but some silly part of her wanted him to consider it a date.

It was wrong of her to want Shouto say that this was a date. Not just because Shouto was one of her closest friends but because she wasn't in the right state to be in a relationship.

She doesn't know what she wants from Shouto or what her feelings were towards him.

* * *

"It is illegal to tape your classmate hands and steal their phones, Sero-san! Why did you send those messages to Todoroki-san and Uzumaki-san?"

Izuku sighed and rubbed the sides of his head while Ashido removed the tape from Iida's wrists. He had known about the plan since last night when Kacchan came over to his apartment, sitting on the floor and basically spilled the whole plan that Tokage had when it came to Uzumaki and Todoroki. Till now, Izuku was trying to figure out what Tokage did to convince Bakugou to help her and Ashido with the plan.

Did she blackmail him?

Tokage hummed and put her hands on her hips while Ashido kept her eyes focused on her binoculars. The pink-skinned girl had her eyes fixated on watching Todoroki and Uzumaki lining up in a line, their hands gazing each other from where Izuku could see from his own hiding space. Was this a good idea? He doesn't know.

"We did this because Uzumaki-chan and Todoroki-san have been avoiding being alone with each other," Ashido explained, tearing her eyes away from the binocular and looking at their Class President. "Everyone here knows that they like each other and if you and Midoriya are with them then they won't talk about their feelings towards each other."

"And making them go to an amusement park will make them talk about their feelings?" Iida rubbed his wrist and pushed his glasses up before swirling his head at him. Red eyes narrowed at him. "Midoriya-kun, you can't also agree with them about this!"

Izuku gulped and sweated as several eyes focused on him, their bodies leaning forward to see his opinion about this. Was making Uzumaki and Todoroki go alone in an amusement park the best way to make them confront their feelings? No. But he doesn't know what they could do to make them confront their feelings towards each other. Even watching them from afar, Izuku could see how different they were around each other from their smiles.

It wasn't the kind of smiles that they directed to any of their friends.

"_Todoroki-kun, have you ever stop to think that maybe Uzumaki has feelings for you?"_ Izuku chewed on his bottom lip and stopped himself from telling them about their conversation. It was private but he knew Todoroki was just a little bit dense when it came to relationships. _Actually, he's really dense._ Because no girl would kiss a boy if she didn't have feelings for him.

"If it was up to me, Whiskers and IcyHot would just be locked up in a closet." Kacchan grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and red eyes following Uzumaki and Todoroki as they reached the first steps of the stairs. "This is a fucking terrible idea."

"Your plan is the last resort," Ashido declared, handing the binoculars to Sero. _They are really going through with this._ Izuku chewed on his bottom lip and a part of him wondered if he should warn Todoroki and Uzumaki about what was going to happen. But it was getting weird to sit in the table with those two and watch them stare at each other with subtle longing in their eyes.

So maybe he should just keep his mouth shut.

Tokage swirled her head at Ashido and Bakugou. "You do know that Blasty's plan would never work when Uzumaki can literally tear the door to escape right? We need to think of a better strategy if all the other plans fail."

"Does no one care about the fact what all of you are planning is considered illegal and an invasion of their privacy?" Iida stood up from his hiding spot, ready to sprint to Uzumaki and Todoroki, but only to be pulled back by Sero and Kacchan. He hunched his shoulders, lowered his voice and glared at then. "What happens between Uzumaki-san and Todoroki-san is none of our business!"

The green-haired girl from Class 1B raised an eyebrow at him and flickered her eyes to the queue for the rollercoster. Green eyes seemed focused on the smiles playing on Uzumaki's face as she pointed to the water log rides to Todoroki. Happiness colored her features and there seemed to be a childish glint in her eyes. If Izuku was honest, he never seen Uzumaki looked like this.

"Iida-san, will you admit that we came to Yuuei to become amazing heroes?" Tokage put her hands on her hips and flashed the teen a smile. The knowing glint in her eyes made Izuku paused as a realization dawned upon him. _Was she exploiting Iida's weak spot?_ He swirled his head to Kacchan, raising an eyebrow at him. Kacchan nodded, scowling and Izuku sighed.

So Tokage exploited Kacchan too.

"Yes but what does this have to do with interfering with their friendship?" Iida knitted his eyebrows together and put his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side. He pressed his lips into a very thin line. A huge group of friends stopped in front of them, blocking their view of Uzumaki and Todoroki.

The green-haired girl tapped her chin and sighed. "Well how can we be good heroes if we can't be good friends? As good friends, we should make those two realize that they like each other. It is our duty as heroes in training!"

"You mean to be amazing heroes, we need to help citizens deal with their emotional issues?" Iida asked, rubbing his chin. Tokage smiled and bobbed her head. _Is he actually going to believe this?_ The words were on the tip of his tongue but he held it back in, waiting to see if his friend would actually fall for the trick. He raised his eyebrows when Iida bobbed his head at them.

Izuku leaned closer to Kacchan and raised an eyebrow at him. "Tokage made the whole thing up, didn't she?"

"Lizard picked up really quickly on what is Four Eyes weakness," Kacchan muttered under his breath. Red eyes flashed with some form of amusement and Izuku bit his lips, stopping himself from smiling. It had been a while since Kacchan looked amused like that but his best-friend had a strange sense of humour. "She must have noticed it during the Sports Festival when Four Eyes threw a fit over what his opponent did to him."

Izuku chewed his lips. "She does know if Uzumaki finds out that we set this up then she might kill us?"

"That's why we are never telling her that we are involved with this shit."

It seemed like Kacchan really does care a lot about Uzumaki's relationship.

* * *

"_Shouto, let's go on that ride!"_

That was what Naruto told him while they waited for their turn on the rollercoaster, pointing to the water log ride. He doesn't know what possessed him to agree to it but now here they were third in line for the water log ride. It was not like he didn't like the logs but something tells him that this might have been a bad idea. But Naruto smiled widely at him, her blue eyes sparkled and he couldn't tell her no.

It probably did not help that Naruto held her hand against his own, never realizing she hadn't let go of him since dragging him to the line. Shouto darted his eyes to their encased hands and he wondered if it would be wrong for him to rub her hand slightly or feel it even. Because Naruto's hands felt like it was on fire but was her whole hand as smooth as it looked?

He shook his head and looked down at the smiling face of Naruto. She beamed at him, lips smiled so wide and there was just a small crinkle in the corner of her eyes. His eyes flickered down to her orange T-shirt before looking at the current of water, where water seemed to hit the passengers. Mismatch eyes widened when a passenger stepped out from the other side, their wet clothes clinging to their skin.

Shouto looked down at Naruto and stared at her orange shirt that didn't seem to hide the fact she had a large chest. People are going to see her shirt clinging to her shirt and the thought made his stomach turned.

"Naruto, are you sure that this ride is a good idea?" They took another step forward and Naruto blinked, knitting her eyebrows together. _She hasn't realized has she?_ He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the heat of his left side increasing while blue eyes blinked. Her pink tongue peeked out of her lips, licking her soft lips and Shouto recalled how soft those lips had been.

Did he like Naruto in that way? Or did he like her for what she represented?

From what he read in his journal so far, he knew he acted different with her than with Midoriya and their other friends.

"Yes," Naruto frowned and Shouto blinked, tearing his eyes away from her. "Why? Do you think that this might be a bad idea?"

"We are going to be drenched with water," he reminded her as they took another step forward. Naruto tilted her head and removed her hand from his own, earning a small frown from the younger boy. It felt so much colder, almost as if his hand was dunk in an ice basket, without having Naruto's hand wrapped around him. "We will be forced to walk around with wet clothes."

"So? I don't see why it is such a big deal!" They shuffled closer to the line and stopped when their log boat came closer towards them. From where he stood, Shouto could not make out any seat belts and a part of him wondered how the person in the back was going to be safe. _Why do I feel like this might be my worst nightmare._ He gulped. "We will just be a little bit wet!"

He jumped down into the front seat and swirled his head at Naruto. The blond-haired girl chewed on her bottom lip, blue eyes fixating on the empty back seat, and excitement shone through her eyes. Shouto felt the corner of his lips twitched and he held his hand out to her.

Naruto blinked and blue eyes glinted with joy. _She really does look pretty when her eyes sparkles like that._ He smiled slightly even more and the blond-haired girl grabbed his hand, gingerly setting down on the bench behind him. Shouto stiffened when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a pair of breast rubbed against his back.

_Her chest feels really soft._ He gulped and wished he could shift in his seat. "W-Why are you hugging me?"

"Because there are no seat belts," Naruto explained, hugging him even more tightly. "If I don't hug you then I might just fall down."

"Can't you use chakra to hold yourself down?" He tried to keep his tone even and calm, not letting his friend knew that he felt flustered or that his brain was now wandering to a dangerous territory. Was it normal to wonder what it would be like to touch her? Does this make him a pervert? No, wait it did. He gulped and wished he didn't have to lean forward.

"But it will be less fun, Shouto!" He shuddered as her warm breath tickled his ear. Her heat really radiated towards him, filled him and threatened to consume him. He bit his tongue from saying anything. _Right, we are here to have fun._ Shouto kept his eyes fixated on the water in front of him. "And besides, it will look weird if I don't hug you."

Shouto felt his lips twitched at the sound of Naruto's whine and he doesn't know why but he wanted to hear her say it in another place. "Then you should hug tighter, Naruto or you might just fall down if you don't use your chakra."

"Shouto, you shouldn't make _excuses_…if you want me to touch you then just say the word." Her voice lowered and was it his imagination but did she purr again? An image flashed before his eyes and Shouto gulped. No, he shouldn't get flustered by this. Naruto does this every time and this was like a game to her.

He steadied his arms and cleared his throat. "And would you touch me _anywhere_?"

"S-Shouto!" He felt his lips twitched even more at the embarrassed tone coming out of Naruto. _I finally got her flustered instead of being the one getting flustered._ The boat gave a slight jolt forward and their crazy water ride began, taking them down a dimly lit tunnel.

If you asked Shouto whether he knew what was inside the tunnel and the rides, but the feel of Naruto's chest against his own meant he couldn't really focus. It wasn't even her fault. The scent of her orange shampoo was really playing with his senses, reminding him of that day when she kissed him. He tightened his grip on the handle and schooled his expression as Naruto's hair tickled his neck.

He blinked when he realized that their water log was now on the top of the conveyor belt that was now carrying them up to the great final drop of the ride. He gulped as Naruto tightened her grip on his waist, her fingers digging into the soft material of his t-shirt as their log approached the peak of the ramp.

"Why the hell don't they have seat belts? I might survive but this is scary shit!" Naruto muttered under her breath. Shouto twisted his head around, mismatch eyes focused on the terrified eyes of Naruto. _What should I tell her?_ He needed to say something to stop the fear in her eyes.

"Naruto, close your eyes and try to think about something that will calm you down."

"Give me an example!"

"I don't know…All Might?"

"You want to me imagine a big muscular man to calm down at the thought that we might just crash!" Shouto snorted and felt the bubbles of laughter creeping up his mouth. Of all the things he knew about Naruto, the last thing he imagined was that Naruto was freaking out from a ride. She was fine in the roller-coaster, screaming in his ears but maybe the sight of so many ghosts might have terrified her?

Before he could even make a comment, they plunged down right into the large pool at the bottom of the slide, water splashing upwards on both sides of the boat. The water poured back down on them. He shuddered and turned his body around, wondering if Naruto was fine.

"_That was fun!"_ Naruto busted out laughing and Shouto smiled, chuckling slightly at the delight of his friend. He climbed out of the boat and onto the small platform. He knelt down, held his hand out and yanked Naruto from the log. The blond-haired girl clutched his hand, legs wobbling slightly and a bright smile plastered on her face.

In that moment, Shouto only had one thought:

_She looks beautiful._

He flushed a bright shade of red and yanked his hand away from her. _I need to figure things out soon or I might be in trouble soon._ Shouto rubbed the back of his neck, waited till his face stopped heating up, before looking at the smiling face of Naruto. Right. Don't look into her blue eyes or else he might wander down. He looked down to her shirt and felt his cheeks flaring up at the sight of her shirt.

Her bright orange shirt clung to her skin, acting almost like another layer of skin, and Shouto could make out some lace patterns that must come from her…Shouto gulped. Was _it orange?_ Or was it another colour? Hard for him to tell with her shirt. He cleared his throat and looked away from her. Instead his eyes focused on a couple of boys, who just stopped and stared at Naruto.

Why were they…

Wait, if he noticed _it_ then they noticed it too!

"You are completely soaked," Shouto muttered under his breath, mismatch eyes focused on Naruto's flushed cheeks. Her blue eyes fixated on his chest, cheeks growing more red and Shouto just stared at her. Her hair might be soaked wet, darker and resembling more like sunshine but her eyes looked like those jewels that his mother used to wear. She looked really _tempting_. And that sounded wrong.

It was dangerous.

"You should wear my jacket," He cleared his throat and held out his jacket. Naruto blinked and tilted her head, causing the boy to school his expression. _Because he was not going to let Naruto know that he was very much flustered at the sight before him._ He took a deep breath. "Your bra is showing."

Naruto blinked and flushed red before taking the blue jacket from his hands. She slipped her hands through the large sleeves of his jackets, engulfing her and making her look like a cute midget. With her flushed cheeks and his jacket on her, Shouto only had one thing running his mind.

_I like her wearing my jacket._

He doesn't noticed that there were two group of people watching them.

* * *

"So how are we going to do this, Killer Bee?"

Bee lowered his sunglasses and turned to look at Yugito. They had been trailing after the nine-tailed jinchuuriki for the past week but not once did he find the right opportunity to talk the girl alone. Her apartment had seals surrounded around it, something that he should expected from Minato's daughter. He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked at his subordinates.

"We are going to wait for that boy to leave her alone," he informed them. Karui and Omoi blinked while Yugito nodded, lips pressed into a very thin line as her eyes fixated on the smiling faces of Uzumaki and her friend (boyfriend? He couldn't tell from their interactions). "When that happens, we will make her the offer."

Karui pressed her lips into a frown and stared at the flushed cheeks of the nine-tailed Jinchuuriki. "Do you think she will take the offer? Uzumaki seems to be really into her boyfriend…can't blame her. He is really good-looking."

"And a gentleman," Omoi commented, eyeing the blue jacket that engulfed Uzumaki. His eyes lingered on her curve and the teen shook his head. "We don't know how long they have been together but I doubt she wants to leave her boyfriend."

"Are they dating?" Yugito rubbed her chin and knitted her eyebrows. _That is a real good question to ask._ Killer Bee couldn't really tell what exactly their relationship was, not when they acted like good friends at times while other times he could feel the tension from them. "They didn't kiss when they have the right timing."

"Dating or not, their relationship won't last." Killer Bee lowered his sunglasses and stared at the smiling teens, lips pressed into a very thin line. "Uzumaki alerted everyone that she was here and that makes her free game for everyone."

Well he couldn't be certain because Killer Bee didn't have all the facts of whether or not Uzumaki was still tied to Konoha or if she really was free game.

"Are we really risking to take her?" Omoi ran his hands through his hair and pressed his hands against his pockets, eyebrows knitting together. "What if Konoha finds out? And they come to Kumo to start a war? And then it escalates to a Shinobi War? And then we will die and—"

"If she refuses and is here undercover for Konoha from the very beginning then we have to accept it." They blinked and Killer Bee pressed his lips into a thin line. They spent seven years fighting in a war, a war where they had lost a lot of shinobi, and starting a war over a Jinchuuriki wasn't worth it. "Last thing we need is a war. If she comes peacefully then things will be different."

"Do we take her by force if she refuses?" Karui demanded.

Killer Bee shook his head. "Taking her by force in Japan is risky. There are cameras everywhere and the Elemental Countries just barely avoided a war since they found those kids. If we have to take her by force then it needs to be done where either there are no cameras or wait till she goes back to the Elemental Countries."

"Can't we just try to seduce her?" Omoi asked. "But I don't want to break her—"

"You wouldn't be able to seduce her," Karui snorted and stared at the mismatch boy, tongue licking her lips. Omoi opened his mouth to protest while Yugito nodded. _"_Compared to her friend, you have got no chance of making her like you in that way."

Bee sighed and stared at Uzumaki and her friend. _Right now, we will just need to wait for Uzumaki to be left alone by that boy and jump her. I can't sense that nin and her family members aren't here._ He bobbed his head and not once did he noticed that there was a pair of brown eyes watching them with narrowed eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.


	45. Chapter 44

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Soba noodles don't really taste all that good anymore._

Shouto pushed his noodles back and forth with his chopsticks, lips curled into a tiny frown and his tiny shoulders hunched. At the age of six and half, Shouto did not have his mother to comfort him or have lunch with him anymore. After what happened a couple of months ago, Shouto hadn't seen his mother.

He hadn't really seen any of his siblings since Endeavour began to train him.

_Soba noodles used to taste nicer when Mum was here._ Shouto slumped his shoulders, mismatch eyes fixated on the big pot of soba noodles before flickering his eyes to the empty seats around him. Fuyumi-neechan was doing her homework, locked up in her room. Natsu-niisan was out in the park, playing with his friends. Touya-niisan? He doesn't know where he was.

He might be six but Shouto knows there was something weird about Soba. He loves Soba. It was the only meal his Mummy would cook for him. _Our little secret, Shou-kun. Your Father can't know I have been cooking it._ Shouto loves watching his Mummy cook his favorite meal. There was always a bright smile on her face but things were different now.

Mummy was gone and he wasn't allowed to eat with any of his brothers or even his sister. Why? Did he do something wrong? Why couldn't he eat with them anymore? Soba doesn't taste good anymore and maybe it was because Mummy was gone.

_Even when Shouto looks back at the age of fifteen, he doesn't understand why soba noodles didn't have the same taste anymore._

"_I'm not going out, Eisuke!"_ Shouto blinked and straightened his back as Touya passed the hallway, holding his smartphone close to his ear. Turquoise eyes flickered towards him and Shouto looked down at his food. Ever since he started training with that man, Touya always looked at him with weird eyes. Sometimes, he wanted to ask Natsuo-niisan if he knows why Touya looks at him weirdly.

But Shouto is six and terrified of having his fear being confirmed.

"_Look Eisuke, I have got to—you little shit head, don't tell her that!"_ Shouto stuffed his laugh as turquoise eyes widened while his older brother running his hand through his hair. Touya was always calm, _nearly perfect as his father would always tell him,_ but whenever his friend called him then he looked like a frazzled cat.

Turquoise eyes fixated on him and the smile on Touya's face dropped. _Why was Touya-niisan never happy to see him? _Shouto doesn't understand why he never smiled at him anymore. Did he hate him for training with Endeavour while Endeavour threw him away? Because Shouto hates how Endeavour threw all his toys away from his room.

Touya shuffled closer to the open door of the dining room, slipping his hands into his pockets and turquoise eyes seemed fixated on the seat right in front of Shouto. _The same seat Mummy used to sit in._ Did Touya-niisan miss Mummy too? He doesn't know. Touya-niisan was always out, out with friends. _He has a girlfriend._ That was what Fuyumi-neechan would tease Touya whenever they sat around the table.

"_What's wrong, Shouto?"_ For the first time since Mummy left home, turquoise eyes softened and Shouto prayed Touya would sit down with him. He actually wants Mummy with him. But Mummy was gone, left in some hospital, and he was alone. When Mummy was here, he had someone to eat with.

But now all of his meals were alone.

He couldn't tell Touya-niisan this.

"_Nothing."_ Shouto hunched his shoulders and tried to blink away the tears. _Heroes don't cry, Shouto!_ That was what Endeavour always tells him whenever he cries over the little things. _That man _always calls him a crybaby whenever he cries or vomits over the harsh training. Shouto doesn't want Touya to think he was a crybaby or that he really wished he was here.

His brother raised an eyebrow and his turquoise eyes seemed fixated on the pot of soba noodles that their housekeeper prepared for them. No words passed between them, only sadness leaking out of his brother's eyes and a frown playing on his lips. _I guess he doesn't really want to spend time with me._ His brother left him alone in this big empty dinning room and all Shouto had was his soba noodles.

Mismatch eyes widened when the door slid opened and Touya comes back in, juggling a bowl and chopsticks. A large smile decorated his face, turquoise eyes shone with understanding and his big brother slid right onto the seat right beside him. His big brother dumped a huge bowlful of soba and began to slurp it down.

_From the few memories that Shouto could recall of Touya, his brother had always been the best when it came to caring about him._

"_It doesn't really taste all that good right, Tou-niisan?"_ His brother blinked and looked down on the bowl of soba noodles. Understanding and sadness radiated from his eyes. Shouto opened his mouth, ready to ask him why he was so sad but something stopped him. Touya-niisan was only sad whenever he sees him.

Touya-niisan was always happy whenever he was with Natsuo and Fuyumi.

His brother smiled, shook his head and poked Shouto by the nose. Shouto blinked and touched his nose while Touya looked out to the hallway. "_Or maybe you disliked the taste because you are eating it alone. Doesn't it taste better now that I'm eating it with you?"_

Shouto rubbed his nose, took another bite of his noodles and smiled slightly at his brother. "_Yup! But maybe you changed the ingredient while I was thinking!"_

Touya laughed and ruffled his hair. "_Explain to me how I could have changed the ingredients while you were thinking!"_

When Shouto looked back, he doesn't fully understands why he loved soba noodles so much but he thinks it was because of his missing older brother.

* * *

"_Here are your orders!"_

Naruto grinned as the waitress slid the bowls of ramen and soba noodles in front of them. The smile on her face dropped when the waitress offered a flirty smile to Shouto. _Isn't she supposed to be working?_ She bit her tongue from saying those words out loud even though she wanted to chew the woman out. Taking a deep breath, the blond-haired girl pushed down the boiling emotions and focused on her food.

"I'm starving!" Naruto straightened her back and began to slurp her ramen, closing her eyes. Was this the best ramen she had? Probably not. But it was definitely good enough to not focus on the weird emotions turning around in her stomach. A small groan escaped her lips and the blue-eyed girl blinked, flushing red as several people coughed.

Shouto just chuckled and tilted his head, knitting his eyebrows together as if he was in deep throat.

"What?" Naruto put down her chopsticks, frowning and raising an eyebrow at him. "Is there something wrong with the way I eat? Because I ain't apologizing for the way I eat."

Her friend shook his head, chewed on his bottom lip and stared at her with curious mismatch eyes. "Why do you love ramen so much? You always seemed to eat ramen with so much zeal."

The blond-haired girl blinked, leaned her body backwards and chewed on her bottom lip. _Can I tell him about what caused me to love ramen so much?_ She pushed her lips back and forth, eyebrows furrowed together. Mismatch eyes softened slightly, looking so apologetic for asking the question, and Naruto took a deep breath.

"I guess it was because it was the first warm meal I ever had," Naruto smiled and swirled the noodles around, blue eyes softening as the memories of the past flashed before her eyes. Shouto blinked and the blond-haired girl looked at the smiling mothers with their children. "I was just wandering around in the streets until Teuchi-ojisan tells me to come in, offering me some ramen to eat."

She closed her eyes and smiled, gulping down the lump in her throat. Warm eyes flashed before her alongside the kind, gentle voice of Teuchi as he coaxed her into coming into his ramen stand. A huge bowl of ramen stood before her. Her body trembling as she tried to understand why someone was being so kind to her. A chuckle escaped her lips.

_Teuchi-ojisan really did save me from myself._

"And you have been in love with ramen since then." Understanding colored his tone and Naruto bobbed her head. He looked at his own soba noodles, lips pressed into a thin line and Naruto wondered if he found it weird that her love for ramen was because it had been her first meal. She rubbed the back of her neck, eyes now locked on her ramen and she straightened her back.

"It is weird, isn't it? But ramen was my very first warm meal and I think it would have been a meal that my Mum would make if she was alive." Naruto chuckled and offered him a smile. Shouto blinked, leaning his body backwards as if taken back by her words.

After a couple of seconds, Shouto shook his head. "I don't think it is weird."

She blinked and then just stared at her friend. Shouto doesn't offer her a smile, only looking down at his food before looking back at her with wide eyes. It looked like he realized something and Naruto could only wonder what her words made him realize. Did he understand her love for ramen? Because she doubt it. Most people didn't understand it.

"When my mother was sent to the hospital, there was no one who would eat lunch with me." Shouto curled his lips into a frown and his voice wavered slightly, telling Naruto of just how emotional her friend was. The mismatch boy was almost always composed. "And the housekeeper usually make soba noodles. I used to eat it alone but Touya-niisan would come back from high school, see me and then he would eat with me."

Naruto kept quiet, only chewing her bottom lip before placing her hand on top of Shouto's left hand. She rubbed circles around it, hoping and praying it would be enough to calm her friend down. She doesn't know what else to do to calm him down, to remind him that they were here. When she was in Konoha, she acted insensitive to people and their problems.

She doesn't want to do that with Shouto.

"Shouto, is it okay if I asked what was Touya like?" Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and gazed into those mismatch eyes that she might have possibly grown to like. A part of her knew that it was wrong for her to question him, especially when her friend might not be comfortable to answer her question but she wanted to understand him.

Shouto closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders. "I can't remember Touya-niisan all that well, Naruto. I don't remember what he looks like anymore. It might have been five years since he ran away but Endeavour kept distancing me from my siblings as each year passed."

Bright blue eyes widened at those words and Naruto could only stared at her friend. He couldn't remember his own brother's appearance. Her throat clogged slightly even though she doesn't fully understand the pain of not remembering his own siblings. No, what hurts the most for her was the knowledge that he couldn't be near his own siblings. Her hand trembled and the blond-haired girl cleared her throat.

"You must have been really lonely."

Shouto nodded and admitted. "Sometimes Natsu-niisan feels like a stranger to me because of that. Our relationship has been improving for the past few months but—"

"You still can't connect with him completely." Shouto bobbed his head and Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her mind tried to think of a way to get them to fully bond over something. Was there anything she could do to help them? Anything to make him smile and have a bond with his brother again.

"I can't talk about heroics with Natsu-niisan," Shouto continued, staring down at his food. "And that's the only thing I really know what to talk about."

Naruto picked up her chopsticks, stared down at her bowl of ramen and looked back at her friend. "Why don't you find a hobby that the both of you can do together?"

"A hobby?" Shouto knitted his eyebrows together and tilted his head. Naruto bit her tongue, stopping herself from giggling at the fact that her friend looked so cute when he was absolutely confused. _He really does make me act like a girl._ She chewed on her bottom lip, uncertain of how to feel about it.

"Yeah, do a hobby together if you wanted to get to know each other." Naruto bobbed her head and cleared her throat. "I don't know much about siblings but you should do some brotherly thing with him."

Shouto nodded, tilted his head and rubbed his chin. "Like what? Do you know what Gaara does with his brother? They are the only people I know that are brothers."

"No idea." Shouto raised an eyebrow and Naruto rubbed the back of her neck, feeling almost uncertain of whether or not to tell her friend about what she knew about Gaara. "Gaara is in the same boast as you but the difference between the two of you is that Kankuro and him work together as a team."

Shouto frowned and knitted his eyebrows. "Really? Are they distant from each other because he is becoming—"

"Kazekage? No." Naruto shook her head and inhaled, pushing her lips back and forth. She wanted to tell him but it would open up more questions and it would lead to her talking about Jinchuuriki. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him about it, not when there was a chance she could lose this friendship between them. "It is something else but this is Gaara's secret to tell."

She chewed on her bottom lip and hunched her shoulders while Shouto knitted his eyebrows, flickering his eyes everywhere. His eyes lingered the most on the toilet room and he squirmed slightly. Her friend sighed, hunched his shoulders and bobbed his head. "Naruto, if you excuse me I need to go to the toilet."

Naruto blinked and waved her hand, smiling slightly as her friend pushed his chair back and walked to the toilets. She looked down at her food, knitting her eyebrows together as the people around them chattered and giggled over their conversation. Today had been one of the happiest days of her life but how long could this last? She felt closer to Shouto and despite spending the whole day together, she wanted to get to know him more.

But could she get to know him even more when she hadn't told him about her status as a jinchuuriki?

Should she tell him and take the risk?

It shouldn't scare her so much, but the thought of Shouto rejecting her because of the Kyuubi made her whole body tremble. _I have never wanted to keep the Kyuubi a secret more than ever._ She steadied her trembling hands and inhaled. It had never mattered to her if Sasuke or the other genin found out about it; if they rejected her. Naruto always prepared herself for that day but Shouto was different.

Shouto made her happy and forget the burden of being a jinchuuriki.

"It is so nice to meet you…Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto blinked and looked away from her bowl of ramen, forcing her head to look up at the large dark-skinned man looming over her. Blue eyes widened when she felt the familiar buzz of chakra radiating from the man, hinting to her that standing before her was another shinobi.

It seemed like no matter what she did or how far away she ran, there was always going to be a shinobi after her.

* * *

"Kacchan, what should we do? Uzumaki-san looks really distressed?"

Green eyes seemed fixated on Bakugou, pleading with him to think of a plan to deal with the issue at hand. Bakugou pressed his lips into a thin line, red eyes fixated on the dark-skinned man who seemed to be leaning in to talk to Whiskers. Something about the whole situation just made his stomach turned and there was a bitter taste in his throat.

_Go and help her._ There was a small, nagging voice demanding him to go and charged in there to help Whiskers. It was not the first time he heard this voice, not when the voice spoke to him when Whiskers ended up being kidnapped. He tightened his grip on the menu and grinded his teeth together.

"I don't know." Deku blinked and frowned, not looking one bit pleased with his answer, but Bakugou doesn't care what his childhood friend thinks. The two of them weren't heroes. One wrong move and this would be put in their records. There was no telling if they could handle this problem of someone harassing Whiskers.

"Well we can't leave her!" Deku whispered harshly, green eyes narrowing as the man took a seat on IcyHot's chair. From where Bakugou sat, he could barely make out the words being mouthed between them, but the trembling of Whisker's hands seemed to have gotten worse. If Whiskers had been trembling like a leaf, now she trembled like a willow tree.

"Be smart, Deku!" He growled. Leaving Whiskers alone was a _terrible idea_ but the girl was strong. Unlike Deku and the other whimps in their school, she was probably one of the bravest people he knew. For her to be trembling like this meant that this man in front of them was no joke. That not even Whiskers was confident to go against them.

Even the way the man sat spoke volumes of his strength and Bakugou clenched his hands into a fist, red eyes flickering to the toilets. Where was IcyHot when they need him? Three against one seemed a bad idea. But maybe four against one was a better idea? He pressed his lips into a thin line and darted his eyes around the café.

Most of the customers seemed either interested in their food, partner or pretending not to notice that there was a fifteen-year-old girl, who looked ready to bolt from here. Red eyes narrowed when he caught sight of two teens seated near the door, their eyes dancing with eagerness at the sight before them. Beside them was another blond-haired woman, probably a couple of years older than them.

Not one of them seemed bothered by what they saw, if anything they seemed pleased about something.

"Kacchan, we should—"

"What the hell can we do, Deku? If we get involved then we are getting into trouble!" Bakugou rubbed the sides of his head, lips curled into an ugly scowl as his mind raced to make a plan to help Whiskers. Should they contact the police? No. They wouldn't be fast enough. The heroes? But would they be fast enough to get to Whiskers.

"So what, Kacchan?" Deku narrowed his eyes at him, put the menu on the table and slammed his hands on the table. "Uzumaki is distressed and we need to help her! I know damn well that you can't leave her alone, not when she is distressed over whatever that man is telling her!"

His blood boiled at the accusation tossed by Deku. _Deku acts like he knows me damn well!_ Sparks cracked under his fingertips as green eyes narrowed at him, daring him to refute those accusation. They hadn't been friends for years, were barely friends now, and Deku acted like he knew everything about him. "Don't fucking talk to me like you know me, Deku!"

"But I do know you!" Deku leaned his body forward and green eyes seemed fixated on him. "You think I haven't noticed how you have always hovered around her like a bodyguard? I know you care about her and that you have always cared about her since she entered our lives!"

Bakugou clenched his jaws. "I don't give a fuck about that bitch!"

"Then why come here?" The green-haired boy dug his fingers against the table and narrowed his eyes, his lips curled into a frown. "Why watch Uzumaki and Todoroki while they were eating in the restaurant while everyone else went to the rides to have some fun! Why do you insist that you are going to watch them!"

"Because the others are just focused on—"

"Kacchan, you are a lot of things but you aren't a liar!" Deku straightened his back and clenched his hands into a ball, not caring about the various eyes that seemed fixated on them. "For once in your damn life, admit that you give a shit about Uzumaki!"

_He keeps acting like he knows me!_ Bakugou balled his hands into a fist, red eyes narrowing at his childhood friend before flickering his eyes to Whiskers. The blond-haired girl chewed on her bottom lip, straightened her back and bobbed her head as if coming into a decision about something. _She is going to do something stupid again!_ He slammed his fist on the table, making the spoon and forks jump.

"Fine!" Bakugou growled as Whiskers and the older male stood up from their seats. Deku blinked, almost taken back by the fact that he changed his mind so quickly. _We got to help that bitch. _Maybe he could hold it against her. "We will follow them but the moment that this whole thing goes to hell, we get the heroes!"

Deku bobbed his head and the two of them stood up from their seats. Red eyes stared at the straightened back of Whiskers before moving down to her balled fist. He stood there for a couple of seconds, watching Whiskers as she trailed behind the large, muscular dark-skinned man. The three people from the table in front of the door stood up, opened the door and just watched as Whiskers dragged her feet.

Bakugou stomped towards them, hands stuffed in his pockets as Midoriya trailed behind him. No time. If they were going to help Whiskers then they needed to be quick about it. Brains was what they needed because something told Bakugou that this wasn't going to be easy.

"Midoriya! Bakugou!" The two teens stopped in their tracks, clicked their heels and like robots turned their whole body around. Red eyes met mismatch eyes, who gazed at them with knitted eyebrows. _Oh now he came back from the toilet break._ He clenched his jaws while Todoroki darted his eyes between them. "What are you guys doing here? Midoriya, didn't you say you—"

"Instead of focusing on why Deku lied! Why don't you focus on the fact that your damn girlfriend is in trouble!" Todoroki blinked and turned his head slightly, mismatch eyes widening at the sight of Whiskers walking behind a dark-skinned male. "Some old man seemed after her and the bitch—"

"Don't call her that!" Bakugou blinked and Todoroki walked towards him, mismatch eyes fixated on the hunched shoulders of Whiskers. The usual pale face of Todoroki seemed to have grown even more pale at the sight before him. Mismatch eyes hardened but Bakugou could practically see his shoulders trembling. "Focus on helping her! If they are after her then it might be because—"

_Because of what, asshole?_ Bakugou bit his tongue from yelling those words. Not because he was being thoughtful or any of that bullcrap. But because Todoroki shoved him and Deku aside, sprinting after Whiskers and the weird man. _Looks like if I want answers then I need to follow him._ He grunted and began chasing after Todoroki, never once bothering to see if Deku was following him.

A small part of Bakugou wondered what was causing him to do this.

* * *

"You wanted to negotiate with me."

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and pressed her lips into a thin line, blue eyes darting to the various trees and bushes that surrounded them. From behind the bushes, the giggles, lively chatter and the dragging feet of the pesesterian seemed to pierce through the scenery. Her blue eyes focused back on the man called Killer Bee and his shinobi team.

She couldn't fight them without making a scene, meaning she had no choice but to listen to what they have to say to her.

"I did mention that in the café," Killer Bee declared, smiling at her. _You also discreetly threatened to make a scene in the café if I don't with you._ She bit her tongue from saying those words, schooling her expression as several eyes seemed fixated on her.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled, pulling her hands out of the pockets of her shorts. _Be careful of what I say to them._ One wrong move and she might be in trouble. "What does Kumogakure want with me? I'm a nobody. I'm just a poor little genin from Konohagakure."

She needed to play the fool.

The blond-haired woman eyed the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks and let out a little chuckle. "Uzumaki Naruto, we all know what the Raikage can possibly want from you. You may be a genin but are the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and a member of the Uzumaki Clan."

Blue eyes widened and Naruto stiffened. Her heart raced and pounded against her chest, ready to leap up to her throat. How the hell did they know what she contained? She clenched her hands into a fist and hunched her back as Killer Bee smirked at her, looking at her like they had her in the bag.

"My brother heard of your hardship growing up in Konoha and knew of the reason that you have been exiled." Killer Bee walked around in circles, his eyes fixated on her trembling body. "A genin that was sent to rescue and retrieve her teammate, only to lose him to Orochimaru."

Naruto clenched her hands into a fist and grinded her teeth together.

"The Hokage banished you for not bringing him back."

_She exiled me for six years! Get your facts right!_ The whiskered teen locked her eyes on the ground, heart beating even harder against her chest as her blood boiled over what the man was telling her. This was manipulation, wasn't it? He wanted to remind her of her failures as a kunoichi. He wanted to break her and make her willing to take whatever offer he had for her.

"Kunonogakure wishes to extend a hand to you and offer you friendship," Killer Bee continued, locking eyes of her hunched shoulders. "You will be treated with respect and kindness in Kumogakure, something that a person of your status deserves."

The blond-haired girl slipped her hands into her pockets and pursed her lips into a thin line. "But in exchange you want me to be completely loyal to Kumogakure, don't you?"

"Of course," The blond-haired woman declared, narrowing her eyes at her. "Generosity is a two-way street."

Naruto looked up at the clear blue skies, inhaled and exhaled, before looking back at the four shinobi before her. "How can I be certain I will be treated with kindness? A jinchuuriki always suffers from hardship. People like me are always treated like trash!"

"Maybe in Konoha but Yugito and I are treated with respect despite our status as the Hachibi and Nibi jinchuuriki." Blue eyes widened as Killer Bee lowered his sunglasses, understanding playing in his eyes. Naruto took several deep breaths as her heart raced against her chest and her whole body trembling like she was on a sugar rush.

"Do you truly believe you can have a normal life here?" Yugito commented, brown eyes locking eyes on Naruto. "No matter how many people you save, you can't ever forget that you are a kunoichi. A chance of a normal life was taken away from you, the moment the Fourth Hokage made you the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. There will always be people that want you for the Kyuubi."

_I know that._

But she wanted to live a happy life for the next couple of years.

"Aren't you bold to poach the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki from right under Konoha's nose." Everyone blinked and swirled their body around as a brown-haired man jumped down from the trees. Brown eyes narrowed and the man stalked forward, looking almost like a panther that seemed reach to pounce. "Does Kumo really want to risk a war? Uzumaki Naruto is under temporary exile and has sworn an oath to be a soldier of Konoha."

_Isn't that Konohamaru's Dad? Hibiki-ojisan!_ Blue eyes widened as Hibiki stood beside her, arms folded against his chest and eyes locked on the four shinobi before them. Even though it had been years since Naruto seen the man, the lingering scent of cigarettes and oak trees had been a scent her nose never forgot.

"Sarutobi Hibiki," Yugito curled her lips in disgust and eyed him with twitching eyebrows. "So Konoha has been keeping an eye on Naruto."

Naruto blinked and Hibiki just stared at them, not looking one bit amused at those words. Brown eyes flickered between her and the shinobis before them before going to the bushes behind her. He shook his head, let out a sigh and straightened his back.

"You should leave." Hibiki declared, clearing his throat. "And tell your Raikage that the Hokage would have some words to say about trying to poach one of our shinobi from us. We forgave you of the slight that you made nearly thirteen years ago but take Naruto and there will be war."

Killer Bee eyed them. "Why don't we hear what Naruto has to say."

"You think I'm stupid and desperate?" Naruto cleared her throat, straightened her back and narrowed her eyes at them. "I will never ever join the village that tried to kidnap my best friend during the negotiation for peace between our two villages."

"You will never get an offer like this, Uzumaki Naruto."

_Like I care._ Naruto bit her tongue and watched as Killer Bee and his team jumped over the bushes, leaving her alone with Hibiki. The blond-haired girl slumped her shoulders, slapped her trembling legs and looked at Hibiki. The man does not smile, did not greet her and the blonde wanted to tell him that she had never been tempted by the offer.

She was a lot of things but Naruto would never betray Konoha.

"Boys, get your asses out of those bushes." Naruto blinked as Hibiki locked eyes on the bush behind them. The leaves rustled and slowly Shouto, Bakugou and Midoriya stepped out of the bushes. _Why the hell were they here? How much did they hear?_ Naruto gulped and stared at the wide eyes of her two classmates before looking at the blank eyes of Shouto.

"Naruto, is there something else that you forgot to mention to me?"

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter? What do you think of the second book in general? And of the relationships between the characters? Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	46. Chapter 45

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"Are you now going to tell us what the hell happened there? And who the hell is this guy?"

Naruto paced back and forth, hand running through her blond hair as Midoriya, Bakugou and Shouto sat down on the couch in her apartment. Hibiki just sat on the armchair, brown eyes focused on the only photo she had of the Third Hokage, while Bakugou folded his arms against his chest. It seemed like a good idea to bring them here but maybe she was wrong to bring them here.

"What you heard was a government trying to poach Naruto away from her home." Hibiki finally answered, looking at the three boys with thin lips. "And my name is Sarutobi Hibiki"

"I don't understand why you are here." Naruto finally said, swirling her head at the male. Blue eyes fixated on the man that took her in for a week before the Third Hokage gave her a home to live. "Did the Old Hag send you to make sure that I don't betray Konoha? I'm a lot of things but I'm not stupid!"

"Naruto, you blasted your whole face for the whole of the Elemental Countries to see." Hibiki reminded her, not caring one bit that there were two teens staring at them with confusion. Naruto groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. "Japan was supposed to be safe for you but instead you just informed everyone that you were here. You are lucky Kumo didn't try to kidnap you."

Bakugou flickered his eyes from Naruto to Hibiki, eyebrows raising to his hairline and he flared his nostrils. "What the hell is the Elemental Countries? And earlier that hippy-looking guy mentioned that you are a kunoichi! Explain everything!"

Hibiki eyed her and stood up from his seat, striding towards her. Brown eyes flickered from the furious boy before looking back at her with raised eyebrows. He lowered his voice. "We need to make up a cover story, Naruto. We cannot for the good of this country let—"

"We have to tell them," Naruto hissed. "Bakugou isn't an idiot nor is Midoriya. If I don't tell them then they would figure out that we are lying. Unless you know a memory suppression jutsu then we have to tell them."

Hibiki pressed his lips and sighed, looking bothered by what she had just said. Did he honestly believe she was happy to do this? She had no other option but to tell them. Beside Shouto would get confused and maybe even angry if she just kept lying to them…if she used a seal to keep it quiet. Naruto grinded her teeth.

She doesn't want to tell them.

"The Elemental Countries are just another set of countries that this part of the world doesn't know about." Naruto flickered her eyes to the photo of Team Seven, blue eyes lingering on the scowling face of Sasuke. "The place where Hibiki-ojisan and me come from is a world filled with war, blood shed and the most common and popular job is being a shinobi."

"But how come we don't know anything about it?" Midoriya asked, rubbing his chin and standing from his couch. Green eyebrows knitted together and he looked at her like she was a mystery. "It is impossible to hide several countries!"

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, flickered her eyes to Hibiki and sighed when the man raised his arms. Great. Just great. The man wanted her to explain since she dug this hole for herself. The blond-haired girl rubbed the sides of her head, blue eyes fixated on the photo of Team Seven. Her eyes lingered the most on the scowl playing on her lips before looking at the smiling face of Sakura and then to the scowl on Sasuke.

Three years passed and she still had no idea of what to feel for what happened to her team.

"It isn't impossible," Naruto finally said, tearing her eyes away from the photo of Team Seven. "There are several seals put around the various corners of the Elemental Continent that helps to put a genjutsu barrier and a few more traps. If someone from this part of the world tries to cross through it then they bounce off or would be complied to go somewhere else."

Bakugou narrowed his eyes, leaned his body forward and clasped his hands together. "What about you guys? If we are compelled to go somewhere else then shouldn't it be the same for you? How were you able to get through? And what the hell is genjutsu?"

"Ero-Sennin altered the seals slightly so that we can get through it," Naruto ran her hand through her hair and chewed on her bottom lip. So far there had been no accusations and Bakugou was surprisingly being chilled about it. "And genjutsu is an illusion technique. This is a technique that is created when a shinobi takes control of a person's chakra flow, affecting the five senses."

"You need to be skilled enough to break through the genjutsu," Hibiki informed them, shaking his head. "Since Jiraiya-sama altered the seals slightly, it was easier for us to break through centuries worth of genjutsu."

_So that was why he and Gaara had an easy time getting through the barrier._ Naruto bobbed her head and inhaled, allowing her ribs to stretch as high as it could be. Now that she understood how Gaara and the other nins had been able to get here so easily, things were now easy for her to connect the dots. She sighed.

Bakugou pressed his lips into a thin line, red eyes narrowing at her. "Chakra? What the hell is Chakra?"

Naruto inhaled and exhaled, chest rising up and down as her eyes focused on the window. The giggles of the children pierced through the windows of her apartment. She paced back and forth, hands over her head as her blue eyes avoided looking at Shouto or her friends. If she wanted to be in control of herself then her eyes needed to be focused on the windows.

"Chakra is the energy flowing inside Naruto and me," Hibiki leaned his body forward and stared at Bakugou and Midoriya. "The way it works is by having our physical energy and spiritual energy together combined and produce a jutsu through the handseals. Whatever you saw Naruto doing in school is the result of that."

Midoriya frowned. "Then is it considered a Quirk?"

"Here? Yes," The blond-haired girl stopped and stared at the photo of her team. "I mean Quirks are things that you inherit from your parents and I inherited from my Mum and Dad. But in the Elemental Countries, Hibiki-ojisan and I will be considered Quirkless since the whole population has chakra. Not everyone can use it since you need to be taught how to use it from a young age."

The blond-haired girl stared at the photo of her friends. Blue eyes fixated on the black eyes of her best friend before moving to the photo of the Third Hokage. Her heart ached as the memories of her childhood flashed before her eyes. Maybe it was time for her to move on, to put away those photos until she could look at these photos without that constant ache in her heart.

"Uzumaki, if you are a kunoichi then how old were you when you became one?" Hesitance colored Midoriya's tone and the blond-haired girl pressed her lips into a thin line. _Sorry Naruto, you fail this year._ She straightened her back. "And why were you exiled? You don't seem like a criminal."

"I was twelve when I finally graduated from the Academy," Naruto kept her tone strong and focused her eyes on the photo of her friends and her in the Arcade. "I was only a genin for nearly a year before things went to hell for me. Before that, I spent six years studying how to be a kunoichi."

Bakugou eyed her. "You haven't told us why were you exiled. Did you do some crazy shit that even a shinobi couldn't accept? Or what?"

"She was exiled for her own good," Hibiki replied and Naruto swirled her head, eyebrows raising to her hairline. _Did the Old Hag tell him?_ She chewed her tongue, stopping herself from asking him. The blonde took several deep breaths before looking at the brown-haired male. He stared at her, brown eyes silently telling her that it was up to her to tell them. "But she hasn't done anything that we considered irredeemable."

"Uzumaki, what did you—"

"I failed to bring back my teammate and best friend," Naruto steadied her voice and kept her lips pressed into a thin line as harsh words from the past echoed in her ear. Just for a moment, black eyes flashed before her eyes alongside their childish laughter. "Failing to bring back my best friend and teammate fucked me up really bad both emotionally and mentally. The Old Hag—"

"—Hokage-sama," Hibiki reminded her.

"—Decided that I needed to be removed from Konoha," Naruto rolled her eyes and clicked her heels together before looking at the three boys before her. "The original plan had been for me to train six years with Ero-Sennin…that didn't happen obviously. I just wanted to forget everything so Ero-Sennin brought me here, deciding to take a risk of some rumor he heard about but never really confirmed."

The three boys bobbed their heads, frowning and looking at her with concerned eyes. Well, Midoriya and Bakugou looked at her with wide eyes while Shouto seemed to be clenching and unclenching his fist. _He is going to explode soon._ She hunched her shoulders, gulping down a lump and looking straight at the shelf of books hanging just to the side.

"Those shinobi called you a jinchuuriki," Shouto said softly, leaning his body forward and mismatch eyes focused on her. No emotions shone through those eyes and Naruto faltered at the reminder of her status. Hibiki pressed his lips into a thin line while the others just stared at her with frowns. "What is a Jinchuuriki?"

_What is a Jinchuuriki?_ That was the one question Naruto had been dreading since they made their way out of the theme park. _A monster._ Her throat clogged up and for a brief moment, she doesn't feel like a fifteen-year-old but a six-year-old girl again. Lying to them was no longer an option, not when they heard what Killer Bee had to say to her. She gritted her teeth. This wasn't how she wanted them to know.

She wanted to trust them with this secret and have the faith that they wouldn't abandon her for the beast inside of her.

_She doesn't want to be abandoned again._

"Naruto, you don't have to tell us—"

"No, I will tell you." Naruto took a deep breath. "It is better to rip the band aid now."

She was going to prove to everyone that she didn't have trust issues.

"A Jinchuuriki are humans that have the Bjuu sealed inside of them," Naruto whispered softly, her hand rubbing her stomach as she recalled the explanation that the Third Hokage gave her. "The Bjuu are monsters that are created entirely of chakra. There are nine Bjuu with each tail to represent their number. I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

"How many Bjuu are there?" Midoriya asked, knitting his eyebrows.

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and closed her eyes. "There are nine Bjuu which means that there are nine jinchuuriki. The more tails they have, the stronger the beast."

All three eyes widened, jerking their heads back as they realized the depth of her statement. Naruto avoided looking at their eyes, focusing more on the smiling faces of her teammates and wishing not for the first time to have Hinata by her side. She couldn't predict the reactions of her friends but Hinata was always easy to predict. If Hinata knew about the Kyuubi then Naruto was certain she would accept her.

But she doesn't know about these people.

"How many jinchuuriki are here in Japan?" Shouto asked, fixating his eyes on her.

Naruto took a deep breath. "Four, including me."

"Four? But we only saw three." Bakugou snapped. "Who is the fourth?"

"Gaara." They blinked and Naruto rubbed the back of her neck, uncertain of what to tell them. She looked at the ticking clock, noticing how as each second passed that those ticks seemed to get louder. Was it broken? Or was it because of something else? She couldn't be certain of anything anymore.

"How old were you when you became a Jinchuuriki?" Midoriya asked softly, looking at her with curious green eyes. He flickered his eyes to Bakugou before looking at Shouto. Both boys had their eyes fixated on her before flickering their eyes to the quiet shinobi on the armchair. Midoriya cleared his throat. "Y-You don't have to answer—"

"Since I was born," everyone blinked and Naruto curled her lips into a frown. "Before I became a jinchuuriki, the previous holder was my mother. On the day I was born, she lost control of the Kyuubi and it caused so much destruction throughout Konoha. Due to this, the Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside of me. Only an Uzumaki and their descendants can keep a leash on this beast."

Her friends stared at her, their eyes not revealing their emotions and Naruto could chew on her lips. Should she ask them about how they feel about this? Did they have all the information that they needed? Because if that was the case then they should just leave her. She wasn't going to break down in front of them.

"Whiskers, why were they making an offer to you?" Bakugou stared at her with lips pressed into a thin line. His red eyes did not reveal his emotions, not even a speck of anger or annoyance coloured his eyes and it only made Naruto tremble. _Because she doesn't know how to deal with a calm Bakugou._ She hunched her shoulders.

"I'm a weapon of war," Naruto kept her tone light and easy as her classmates and friends looked at her with wide eyes. She forced herself to smile at them, trying to make sure that her lips did not wobble slightly. Three years had passed since the bomb was dropped on her but it still hurt for her to know. "They want to be more strong and having three jinchuuriki is a good idea to them. Knowing the type of childhood that we have, they think I will accept whatever they offered."

Bakugou narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Explain to us."

"Jinchuurikis are usually isolated and have a difficult childhood growing up," Hibiki flickered his eyes at Naruto and then to the boys. "Because most people don't understand how seals works and thinks that people like Naruto are their monsters. They just keep it contained, they are only the box and not the cargo inside it."

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line, looking down to the floor before looking at the photo of the Hokage, Team Seven and then finally landing on her mother. For the first time in her life, Naruto wondered who her father had been. Did he immediately accept what her mother contained? Or was he kept in the dark? She would never know.

She only knew that her father was dead.

"Guys, if you want to stop being friends with me because of this…I can understand." Naruto cleared her throat and stared at the three boys right in front of her. She steadied her trembling hands and looked out to the window, curling her lips as the laughter and giggles of the neighborhood kids echoed in her ears. "Just don't tell anyone what I told you."

"Uzumaki, we will keep it a secret but we need time to process everything," Midoriya cleared his throat and stood up from his seat. "This won't break my friendship with you but I just need time to understand everything you had told me."

"I'm just going out now."

Hibiki eyed the two boys. "I will walk you two boys out, I have some groceries to get for my apartment."

"We don't need a babysitter!" Bakugou snarled.

"I'm going out in the same direction." Hibiki rolled his eyes and offered them a smile, earning a frown from Naruto. _He could go anytime but why does he want to go now?_ She knitted her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe he really did need to go to the supermarket but her stomach stirred with unease. Or was it because she didn't want to be left alone with Shouto?

She had no idea.

* * *

"S-So do you have more questions to ask me?"

Shouto looked away from the photos on the shelf and stared at Naruto. The blond-haired girl was biting her plump bottom lips, a habit that she always do whenever she seemed nervous and a habit that made him feel uncomfortable. Whenever Naruto bite her lips, all Shouto wanted to do was kiss her lips and bite it for her. It really made him question his behavior towards Naruto.

"Why did you hide it from me?" Shouto kept his eyes focused on the bright blue eyes of his friend, never allowing it to dip back down to her lips. This was the time to focus on understanding things. Does looking at her lips fix anything? If anything it made his mind wander to dangerous territory. "I thought you trusted me."

The mismatch boy hunched his shoulders and looked down at his shoes. Why was he upset about this? Why does he want to shake Naruto for keeping it a secret? They made a deal to reveal things slowly so it made sense for her not to tell him. But his heart ached at the thought of her not trusting him. They were friends, good friends and he told her about Touya. No one knows about Touya or what his father did to him.

"I trust you, Shouto." Naruto cleared her throat but Shouto could hear the wobble in her tone. His heart throbbed when he saw a single tear streaming down her face and the blond-haired girl focused her eyes on the photo of her and two other kids. "But this wasn't about trust. This was something else entirely."

Shouto stood up from his seat and took several deep breaths. Even though he couldn't see Naruto's expression from his seat, the trembles and growing whimpers in her voice told him she was terrified. Why was she terrified? He strode to stand right in front of her, mismatch eyes looking down at her hunched shoulders. He knelt down slightly, lowered his tone and stared at her. "Then what was it about?"

Silence hung between them as Naruto stared down at her hands before fixating her blue eyes at him. It looked so misty, ready to burst into tears and Shouto hovered his hands over her shoulders. In all the months that he had known her, this was the most vulnerable he had ever seen her. Taking a deep breath, Shouto wrapped his arms around her.

"It is about me being terrified." Her voice trembled and Naruto clenched her hand around his shirt as if trying to keep herself in reality. Shouto blinked and couldn't stop himself sniffing the blond-haired girl's hair. _It still smells like oranges._ He rubbed circles around her back, trying to get her to calm down.

Finally when Naruto stopped shivering, Shouto looked down at her blue-eyes. "Why were you terrified?"

No words passed between them and Naruto looked up at him. Blue eyes wavered slightly as if it worried her to admit to him of what her fears had been. He wasn't a shinobi. He couldn't even begin to understand what she went through, but he wanted to understand her. He wanted to get to know Naruto. He just needed to know why it had been a big deal to keep it a secret to her.

"Because I didn't want you to abandon me," Shouto blinked as tears began to stream down Naruto's eyes. He pushed her slightly off of his chest and placed his hand on her face. He rubbed the tears and was it weird that even though she was crying, he still found her beautiful? He pressed his lips into a thin line. "I s-spent half of my life being rejected by people and I just didn't want to go through that again."

_Oh._ Shouto stared down at her, heart aching at the sight of the tears and dryness in her voice. He took another deep breath and hugged her. Something must have possessed him to push her closer to his chest. Maybe he wanted to reassure her by making her listen to his heart. He just wanted to calm her down. He wanted her to stop being terrified.

"Do you honestly believe I would abandon you?" He whispered, looking down at her wide blue eyes. Her lips parted slightly and Shouto looked down at her lips. He doesn't know how long he stared at those lips but he knows that this was not the time to concentrate of thinking about her lips. He took a deep breath and looked at her. "Because I won't abandon you or any of my friends."

Naruto exhaled and stared up at his mismatch eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip, pushing her lips back and forth as if contemplating about something. "I know you won't abandon me but every time I think of telling you…I was afraid of losing you. You are my first friend here and _I didn't want to lose you."_

The blond-haired girl gulped and pushed herself off of him. She rubbed her eyes, hiccupping slightly and Shouto gazed at her. He took another deep breath, knelt down slightly and tipped her face up. Teary blue eyes looked up at him and the mismatch boy blinked, realizing that even though her nose was red and had some snot, she still looked pretty. "You won't lose me, Naruto. You will always have me, I promise you that."

"Promises are a big thing," Naruto hiccuped. "I will keep you to that."

Shouto nodded. "I will keep that promise to you but you need to open up more to me…I will do the same. We will try harder with that promise, Naruto but please don't keep secrets from me. I was terrified when those people went after you…I was in the dark and I didn't like that."

"I didn't know they were going to come," Naruto admitted. "I thought it was over but it seems like there might be people after me."

Shouto nodded and looked down at the blond-haired girl. Blue eyes shone with honesty, pleading with him to believe her and the funny thing was that he did believe her. Doubt should stir around his stomach because this was not the first time Naruto kept secrets from him, but she always had good reasons for her actions. So maybe that was why he believed her words.

"Shouto, do you still want to be friends with me even though I have a powerful monster inside of my stomach?" Shouto blinked and stared down at the curious, hesitant eyes of Naruto. Why wouldn't he want to be friends with her? Naruto had always been there for him. Sure, she might keep secrets but they were for good reasons. She might slurp her food but it was adorable at times.

Most of all, she always made him smile and had always been there for him.

His lips curled as something dawned on him but he could never tell Naruto of what he realized, instead he chose to say the words that he knew Naruto wanted to hear from him.

"Yes because even if you carry a monster, you are still Uzumaki Naruto and you are my friend."

_That day was when Shouto realized he did have a crush on Naruto, that he had it bad for her and he doesn't know if he wants to stop these feelings inside of him. He won't tell her because he doesn't know if Naruto could ever love him…if he really deserves it._

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Did you expect this to happen? The next chapter would be the last chapter.**


	47. Chapter 46

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"What are you doing here, Katsuki? Did your Mum ask you to check up on me again?"

Bakugou scowled and folded his arms as his red eyes fixated on his elderly grandmother. At the age of 63, Akimoto Narumi was still an old woman going strong. Then again when he considered all the things his grandmother went through, it was kind of hard for her not to be tough. Most of the females in his mother's side of the family always seemed to be made out of rocks.

"I wanted to ask about Minato-ojisan's father." It might have been a day since Whiskers informed them about the truth, but the knowledge that there might be another set of countries had brought up a new set of questions. Was there a chance that his uncle was in the Elemental Countries? It would make sense of why they couldn't catch him.

His grandmother pressed her lips into a thin line, eyebrows twitching as it always happened whenever someone brought up her ex-boyfriend. The elder woman grunted, put her hands behind her back and jerked her head inside. The usual fondness in his grandmother's eyes faded, replaced with rage and sadness as Bakugou made his way into the house.

It had been months since Bakugou came to his grandmother's house, not since his grandfather died. Photos of his mother growing up decorated the hall way alongside the various photo of him being around her and Gramps. He slowed down slightly when he caught sight of the photos of his uncle. The only photos his grandmother had were the photos of Minato-ojisan growing up from a baby to the age of six.

"Why do you want to know about that good-for-nothing bastard?" His grandmother took a seat on the armchair, bright blue eyes fixated on the only family photo that she had with her two children. Narumi clenched and unclenched her hands, looking ready to beat up anyone. _If the bastard was here, Grams will annihilate him._ He snorted at the thought.

Bakugou focused his eyes on his scowling grandmother and took a deep breath. "Did he ever have a Quirk?"

Silence hung between them and Narumi fixated her eyes on the photo of a young Minato. Bakugou scowled and cracked his knuckles, taking deep breaths not to raise his voice at his grandmother. He wouldn't even ask if it wasn't for Whiskers. The knowledge that there was a whole different country out there, made him wonder of the possibility. He doesn't care. But his grandmother was bitter.

She was always upset whenever he used to visit her.

'_You look so much like your Uncle Minato except he wouldn't be disrespectful to his friend.'_

"He did have a Quirk." Bakugou blinked and his grandmother fixated her eyes on the television screen. "It was very similar to the Quirk that girl in your class have."

Bakugou leaned his body forward. "Which one?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." His grandmother sighed and leaned her body forward, blue eyes fixated on him before flickering back to the photo of his uncle. Her lips pressed into a thin line almost like she tasted a bad lemon and Bakugou wondered if there was more to the story that his grandmother had told him and his mother.

The blond-haired boy took a deep breath, straightened his back and stared at the photo of his smiling uncle having his arms wrapped around by his mother. "Could it be possible that Minato-ojisan had the same Quirk as his father? All of you claimed that he was Quirkless."

Narumi eyed him, took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. With her back turned away from him, Bakugou could not make out what was going through the Old Crone's mind. It was a matter of time before his grandmother would question him about his interest, and Bakugou just wanted his suspicions put to rest. But telling his theory to the Old Crone was a bad idea.

If his theory was wrong then his grandmother would suffer from a broken heart. Despite what people believed about him, Bakugou gave a shit about his family and especially his grandmother. While his parents had been too busy running a fashion business, his grandmother had been the one to take care of him.

"We did so many tests just to confirm if your Uncle had a Quirk or not," Bitterness coloured his grandmother's tone and the elder woman picked up the photo of his uncle. She exhaled. "Every single time, we get the same answer: Minato is Quirkless. The closest that we ever had to disapprove the test was when we did an x-ray of his feet. At that time, we had just some hope he had a Quirk."

Bakugou blinked. So there had been a possibility? Like there was a chance that he could have been taken by some Quirk Ring? Maybe his theory was wrong then. _But the overprotectiveness I feel for that bitch won't make sense._ No way he could have feelings for Whiskers. He just had a very weird desire to protect her.

"What do you mean by some hope?"

His grandmother pressed her lips into a thin line, fingers tracing the features of his young uncle before looking at him with blank eyes. "When we conducted the test on his feet to confirm the lack of a joint, we found that your Uncle had another system in his body. It wasn't the cardiovascular system since they can't be seen easily in X-rays. We conducted more tests, trying to understand it…but nothing made sense."

_Another system in his body._ Bakugou leaned his body forward, rubbed the sides of his head and stared at his grandmother. Could it be possible for it to have been chakra? He doesn't know shit about it but he would have to ask Whiskers. The last person he wanted to talk to now was Whiskers, not when she had been keeping her powers a secret. He doesn't even know why it bothered him.

They weren't even the best of friends and probably had been friends for two months now.

"I never told Minato about the other system in his body," His grandmother continued, gazing out at the windows. She took a deep breath and fiddled with her fingers before taking a deep breath. The woman rubbed the sides of her head. "I was afraid he would be disappointed since we weren't certain if it was a part of a Quirk or a new system in the human body."

Bakugou pressed his lips into a thin line, rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the photo of his mother with his uncle. _Even though he didn't have a Quirk, your uncle was always trying to play hero with me._ His mother always became just a little bit more gentle whenever they brought up her brother. He took a deep breath.

He couldn't tell his grandmother about his theory, not when his grandmother would just blew a fuse.

"Grams, when you watch the Sports Festival…what did you think of Uzumaki Naruto?" He ran his hand through his hair as blue eyes flashed before him. Whenever Bakugou looked at Naruto, he could see his grandmother's blue eyes flashing before him. Except his grandmother could be happy and had a normal childhood while Whiskers was just a weirdo at times.

"Uzumaki Naruto? The girl that wiped the floor with you?" Bakugou scowled and his grandmother laughed. "Don't make that expression, Bakugou Katsuki! You are always going to face someone that is stronger than you, so if you want to wipe the floor with 'em! Get stronger!"

Bakugou pressed his lips into a thin line and scowled. Yeah, he needed to get stronger than Whiskers but how the hell could he get stronger? Whiskers was ahead of them. She had so many more years of training and more experience. Her use of Chakra meant that she outclassed him. He grinded his teeth together. There had to be a way to beat her.

"So what do you think of her?" He repeated himself again.

"She seems like a firecracker," his grandmother eyed him. "What? Do you have a crush on her?"

Bakugou scowled. "Fuck no. She is in love with someone else!"

His grandmother chuckled and doesn't even bother to correct him. He looked out to the television screen, eyebrows knitting together and slipped his hands into his pocket. Should he point out that Uzumaki look like Minato-ojisan? But if his grandmother breaks down then he didn't know how to deal with an upset woman.

He doesn't even know if his grandmother would want to hear his theory.

He would have to ask Whiskers if she knew of a way to figure out if his uncle had been in the Elemental Countries.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto was five minutes early for her shift in the café and instead of being greeted by the smiling faces of her customers, she was greeted by the Head of the Uzumaki Clan. Should she be glad that it was him greeting her instead of her customers? She didn't have to put on a smile around him or make up some excuse for the bags under her eyes. Last night had been a disaster for her.

She spent the whole night replaying Shouto's words.

_You will always have me, I promise you that._ Those words really affected her and it took all of her willpower not to do something reckless and impulsive again. Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as hazel eyes locked eyes on her. Kenji rubbed the back of his neck, shifting back and forth and avoiding looking at her eyes. He cleared his throat.

"Didn't my son tell you that I wanted to talk to you?" Hesitance colored his tone and the man gazed at the windows of the café. His hazel eyes seemed locked onto a couple. A young blond-haired man flushing red and smiling with embarrassment as his red-haired girlfriend giggled, looking absolutely smitten at the sight before her. Kenji shook his head.

Naruto blinked and nodded, chewing her tongue in order to stop herself from spilling the truth to him. After what happened yesterday, it escaped her mind that Kenji was going to come to her workplace like she offered. With those Kumo nin and her spilling everything to three of her friends, it had been easy to just not think about today.

"So what do you want to talk about?" She cleared her throat and shoved her hands into her pockets, uncertain of where to go next with the whole thing. Does she offer to take him inside and have a talk? Or does she tell him that she was not in the mood to hear whatever he wanted to talk to her about? She sighed.

Kenji flickered his eyes around, pressed his lips into a thin line and hunched his shoulders. "Can we talk in private? This isn't the type of conversation that we should have in public."

Naruto sighed and bobbed her head, flickering her eyes at the various civilians that seemed intent of walking around with smiles on their faces. Even though they seemed more interested with running to the nearest bus stop or talking to their friends, there was always a risk that someone might overhear them. She slumped her shoulders.

"Follow me." Kenji raised an eyebrow and Naruto gestured for him to follow her. She hummed a small tune as her bright blue eyes fixated on the street right inside of her. Why does he want to talk to her? They haven't seen each other for a week so why did he want her to talk to her as soon as he came back? She sighed and chewed on her bottom lip, clicking her heels together.

"So what do you w—" Her words died down when she turned her whole body around and stared at the sight of the Head of the Uzumaki Clan kneeling down. He bowed his head down, not looking her in the eyes and instead focused on the ground. Her throat clogged up and the blonde cleared her throat. "What are you doing?"

"I want to apologize to you for not being there for you." His voice croaked and Naruto just stared at him, words stuck in her throat as the red-haired man looked at her in the eyes. His eyes seemed misty and the blond-haired girl blinked. "I'm sorry for not taking you in or checking up on your Mum. Kushina meant the world to me and I'm sorry for never stopping my grandfather when he decided on Kushina becoming a jinchuuriki."

Sincerity colored his tone and Naruto wanted to accept his apology but she wasn't ready just yet. A week ago, she would have told him flat out no to his apology but a lot of things happened so far. It would just seem petty for her to say she didn't forgive him but she wasn't ready just yet to accept his apology. But she would listen to him.

"You know sorry won't make up for what happened to me or my mother." Naruto took a deep breath and stared at the tabby cats that seemed to crawl and stretch their body. _Should I bring a cat doll when I visit Eri?_ She chewed on her bottom lip.

Kenji cleared his throat. "I know and you are within your right if you decided not to accept my apology. But there are two things that I want to give you."

"Two things?" Naruto blinked as Kenji stood up from his seat. He rubbed his eyes, cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket. The blond-haired girl blinked, knitted her eyebrows as the piece of paper revealed a sketch. Blue eyes widened when she realized that the female in the sketch was her mother.

"I drew this when your Mum announced she planned to marry your father," Kenji cleared his throat and handed her the sketch. _My father?_ She cleared her throat and looked down at the sketch. The sketch of her mother looked so similar to the photo that Akira gave her, so the sketch of her father must be similar. But how could he be certain that this was her father? Her possible father looked really similar to Bakugou.

It made her stomach turned with unease.

She cleared her throat. "Why are you certain that he is my father? And why would my mother want to get married? She should have known better! Love and relationships are risky after all!"

"You might have your Mum's facial features but you have his colouring," Kenji pointed to the man in the sketch and he rubbed the back of his neck. He leaned away slightly, flickering his eyes everywhere before looking at her. "And your Mum wanted to get married because she was in love with your Dad. Why else would she want to take such a huge commitment?"

"But being a jinchuuriki means—"

"Let me stop you right there, Naruto." Kenji held his hand up and Naruto blinked as the red-haired man took in several deep breaths. "Just because you have the Kyuubi inside of your gut, doesn't mean you aren't allowed to fall in love. In fact it would be encouraged for you to have feelings for someone."

Naruto blinked. "What? But the Kyuubi—"

"Look I won't speak to you as a head of the Uzumaki Clan or your relative," The red-haired man ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, hazel eyes focusing on her. "I will speak to you as a seal master. That seal you have on you can be the strongest thing in the world but it will weaken if you cling to hate. The Kyuubi feeds on hate and so tell me what is the opposite of hate? What will keep the Kyuubi at bay?"

Naruto blinked and felt her throat tightened as she realized what the man was trying to tell her. "Love."

"Your Mum loved this man and when your Mum loves someone, she doesn't change her mind." The blond-haired girl blinked and stared down at the sketch of her mother and possible father. Kenji stared down at the sketch. "Love is what helped Kushina keep the Kyuubi at bay. It never really matter to her that loving your Dad was a risk, she went for it."

_Mum really had a lot of guts._

Naruto chewed on her bottom lips. "But her actions caused—"

"A lot of deaths? No, it was bad preparation and maybe something else." Kenji shook his head and stared at her. "But it won't happen again. If you are worried about the seal weakening if you ever decided on having kids and having a relationship then don't worry about it. You have the whole clan to help you take care of it. Being a jinchuuriki should never be a reason for you to stop yourself from having a relationship."

_So I'm allowed to fall in love? To have romantic relationships?_ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and stopped herself from asking him. For some strange reason, Shouto came into her mind and the blonde looked down at her feet, cheeks flushing red. So if she did have feelings for Shouto then it would be alright for her to act on them. But she couldn't act on her confusing feelings until she figured things out.

But the point was that she was allowed to pursue a relationship without fearing a backlash.

"And what was the second thing that you want to give to me?"

Kenji pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. _Is this a check?_ Naruto blinked and looked down at the paper, blue eyes widening as she read the value on the check paper. _¥2,000,000_. That was so much money. More money than she could make one month in her part time job. She cleared her throat.

"Why the hell are you giving me so much money?" Naruto steadied her trembling arms and looked down at the check. "I'm not going to forgive you just because you gave me so much money. _¥2,000,000_ or even more money won't be enough to convince me to forgive you."

Kenji nodded. "I know but this is just a small piece of the compensation that Konoha owes you and the clan."

Naruto stared at him and looked down at the check. This was the money that Konoha was giving her for her suffering? This won't be enough for her to forget what happened. It would not be enough to look at the village without feeling hurt. She wanted something else. She just didn't know what she wanted from them.

"The money that Tsunade and the council gave me are all for you," Naruto blinked and Kenji looked at her. "There is more money but I will give you the rest of the money in installations since it will look fishy if I transferred so much money to you. And I'm not here to ask for forgivness or want it, I am trying to do the right thing for you."

Naruto stared at him and chewed on her bottom lip, uncertain of what to say to him. Was he being sincere to her? It felt like he was making an effort to her but should she accept it? This was so much money, enough money for her to maybe open her own agency when she graduate high school. She took a deep breath and gulped down a lump.

Kenji stared at her and cleared his throat as Naruto stuffed the check into her work bag.

"Akira-obaasama told me that she began to train you on how to make our chakra chains." Kenji rubbed the back of his neck and looked out to the pedestrians that seemed to be strolling without a care in the world. "Just as it's your birthright to learn how to make it, it is also your birthright to learn how to make seals. If you want, I can teach it to you. If not me…well I will find someone else to teach you."

Naruto stared at him and pressed her lips into a thin line. "I don't know if I want to forgive you."

"Then don't forgive me." Naruto blinked and Kenji stared down at her. "If you want to avoid me then go ahead but the offer is there. This doesn't have to be me teaching you as a relative. If you want we can make it a student and mentor thing but the ball is in your court."

The blonde eyed him. "I will use you to get stronger."

Kenji doesn't smile or frown at her words but nodded. "Then use me if you want to. If you want to become a good hero or a kunoichi then I will be your tool."

Naruto looked at him and thinks to herself that maybe she was jumping the guns by accepting it. But she couldn't afford to be weak, not when there seemed to be so many people after her. She took a deep breath and stared at her relative. For the sake of protecting herself, she would have to do this. She bobbed her head.

"When can I start, Kenji-sensei?"

It would be a month later when Naruto learns more about her family and the secrets that have been kept from her. It made her question everything that she knew about herself and her life.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. The next installation of the series will come out in the next couple of days and I hope that all of you enjoyed reading the second book. Would you like to see more flashbacks in the Third Book?**


	48. Author Note

Hello everyone,

This is not a new chapter but an announcement for all those who have not been alerted or do not know about Book 3 of the Guardian Chronicles: Revelations. As some people know, I decided to redo Revelations and as a result deleted the first version. That was probably around March and now I would like to announce that the rewrite for Revelations is up and it has been renamed Divulgence.

I know that I should have announced it earlier but with a lot of consideration and thought, I have decided to announce it. The updates for Divulgence are slower in order for everyone to take the time to read the story and for me not to burn out like what happened last time.

Once again I want to thank everyone for their support with the series.

-STLHero


End file.
